Compelled to Play the Great Game
by Hotpoint
Summary: Fourth story in the Compelled Series: In a near infinite multiverse more powerful foes than ever must be faced - AU Series - COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

___This is the fourth story in the Compelled Series, reading parts one, two and three first will save you a great deal of confusion as to what's going on._

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**CHAPTER ONE**

**Vahla ha'nesh – Location Inexplicable – Date Irrelevant**

'What, no hug?' the girl asked, a grin appearing on her face as she dumped the hold-all onto the floor. 'I mean I didn't expect one from Mom but…'

'Identify yourself' Illyria ordered the interloper.

The girl turned back towards the Old One, her hair shifting back to bright red and her eyes becoming duplicates of Illyria's own glacial blue. 'I am Enyo, God-Princess of the Holocene, Warrior of the Slayer Legions and Heir to the Covenant' she answered in imperious tones. 'Sometimes known as Rebecca Wyndham-Pryce' she added in an off-handed manner.

Illyria nodded, she appeared more collected and considerably less flustered than her mortal companions by the girls unexpected arrival, manner and declarations. 'Your aura indicates you are of my bloodline mixed with that of Berith' she stated, easily identifying both with certainty. 'Why was such a union made?' she asked.

'For reasons of alliance and necessity' the girl answered.

'Your filial allegiance under the terms of this alliance?' Illyria asked.

'Solely to your line and authority Mother' the girl replied, bowing her head slightly.

'Yet Berith would still accept you as heir?' Illyria queried. 'Such terms are highly unfavourable to him' she noted.

'His contribution of resources to the alliance were minimal' the girl responded, 'as such the terms were almost entirely yours to dictate.'

'I see' Illyria replied. 'I gave you your title?' she asked.

'Princess of the Holocene yes' the girl answered. 'You deemed it appropriate.'

'Who are the Holocene?' Connor asked quietly.

'It's a what not a who' Fred whispered back. 'The Holocene is the name of the current geological era' she informed him, 'since the end of the last ice age' she explained.

Illyria cocked her head to the side. 'Do you intend to challenge me for leadership of our clan?' she asked flatly.

The girl shook her head.. 'No Mother I yield to your authority' she said and unhooking her sword and scabbard from where it had been strapped across her back passed it to Illyria. 'My sword as my life are yours to take' she said and dropped to her knees before the old one, head bowed and arms outstretched palms facing upwards in submission.

'What the crap?' Spike exclaimed as Illyria drew the sword from its scabbard and inspected it before placing the blade against the neck of the girl.

'This is a twin of the ones Knox made for me' Illyria said, letting the sword edge press against the girls flesh. Unlike a conventional sword the enchanted blade was fully capable of slicing though even the skin of their kind and if swung hard would decapitate her if Illyria chose to do so.

'It _is_ one of those' the girl replied. 'You gifted me one of the pair for service in battle against our enemies' she explained. 'Do you accept my fealty Mother' she asked, entirely mindful of the sharp metal pressing against her.

Allowing for the fact the gender terms were all wrong, Illyria and her people in their original form had been genderless, and that it was impossible to do this properly without interlocked tentacles, Illyria was pleased that the girl was performing the ritual as best she could. 'I formally accept you as part of my line and heir designate should I fall' she declared, handed back the sword after returning it to the scabbard and then placed her hand on the top of the girls head. 'You will kneel to no other' she ordered. 'All other clans will be supplicant to our own' she declared.

'As it should and will be' the girl intoned.

'Arise… daughter' Illyria commanded. That was going to take some getting used to she decided, returning the sword to the hands of the girl.

Buffy coughed. 'I hate to interrupt this bonding session but just who, or what, exactly are you?' she asked, pointing at the girl who was rising to her feet.

The girl turned towards Buffy, her hair changed colour again to its previous chestnut brown but this time with red streaks, her eyes stayed blue but became more human in appearance as did her voice. 'You can call me Rebecca or Enyo' she said. 'I'm the daughter of Wesley and Faith Wyndham-Pryce, and you would say the "Hellspawn" of Illyria and Berith' she replied. 'I'll give you all the benefit of the doubt that you've already worked out it's a question of _when_ not _where_ I'm from.'

'You're my daughter with Faith?' Wesley asked, looking surprised. He was also more than mildly shocked at the concept of "Faith Wyndham-Pryce" for that matter.

'It would be truer to say that the shell was' Illyria commented. 'I am surprised I would allow the child of my consort to become a vessel for another, even my own offspring' she said to the girl curiously.

Wesley's jaw dropped. 'You're dead' he realised. 'I mean you're just wearing my… daughter… like a set of clothes' he continued aghast.

'Umm my condolences on your loss there mate' Spike offered. 'Hey what' he said to everyone that had turned to look at him. 'He just found out his kid died from the demon that's wearing her corpse, I was just being, you-know, respectful.'

'Stick to what you're good at' Angel advised. 'That wasn't it.'

'Before you all start sending wreaths and letters of condolence to Mom and Dad' the girl interjected, 'rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated' she told them. 'Willow you've been trying to take a look in my head since I arrived' she stated, turning to face the witch, 'I'm going to stop blocking you' she told her.

Willow frowned then her eyes widened. 'There's two voices in there' she said in astonishment. 'Two minds' Willow said in continued amazement, 'one feels a lot like Illyria, and it feels like it's trying to stare me out or something, but the other is human' she told them.

'Impossible' Illyria stated. 'The soul of the shell would have been consumed by the union of my essence with Berith's within it' she declared. 'Traces may remain, sparks of former consciousness, but the soul itself would perish through the process.'

'Assuming you left the soul in there _during_ the process' the girl responded with a smile. 'If you were going to think outside the box, you'd think _inside_ the jar' she told them.

'The jar?' Willow repeated in confusion.

'You've seen one before' the girl told him. 'Like the one Angel's soul was put in for safe keeping when Dad had the idea for bringing Angelus back' she said, 'Dad told me the story' she explained. 'How to protect a soul from the fires of creation? Easy, make sure it's not in there at the time and put it back in again after everything's cooled down and safe.'

'You're like me and the poofter' Spike declared, half nodding towards Angel. 'Demon under new management, or maybe the original management.'

The girl shook her head. 'No that _was_ the plan but Old One's are a _lot_ harder to suppress than vampiric demons' she said. 'Once you and Angel got a soul the demon within you was pushed back into the subconscious, but when _my_ soul went back in, it found itself in a shell with a very bad case of multiple personality disorder' she told them. 'That's why it's Rebecca _or_ Enyo, there's two of us in here' she explained, tapping the side of her head. 'After a while we learned to cooperate but we're still largely separate entities' the girl announced. 'And yes that _does_ feel weird.'

'Who's plan?' Giles asked. 'Who did this to you?' he asked, the metaphysical implications were fascinating but the action itself was almost appalling.

'Pretty much _all_ of you' the girl replied, 'well not _you_' she told Giles 'you're retired by then, but I _did_ volunteer, if that's what you're worried about.'

'Why would you do that?' Buffy asked. 'Why would _we_ do something like that?' Buffy asked.

'Long story with a death-toll in the billions Chief' the girl responded. 'Trust me it seemed pretty damn reasonable at the time to all concerned' she continued. 'Only Mom there was dead-set against' she told them, indicating Faith.

'Two minds' Dawn whispered to Connor, 'if she was Faith and Wes's daughter she was probably nuts enough already without that' she told him.

The girl snapped her head around and directed a searing glare in Dawn's direction, apparently she had great hearing. Connor tensed to move to defend his girlfriend if necessary but instead of attacking or even retorting in kind the girl eventually winked instead. 'Look at it this way Dawn, there's a big plus' she said. 'You're never alone with schizophrenia' she deadpanned.

'You know all of us?' Connor asked.

'Of course' she replied. 'You just look about twenty-five years younger than you did the last time I saw you' she told him. 'Apart from a few immortal exceptions' the girl noted, 'Spike's even still wearing his hair the same way in the 2020's' she added.

'It's a timeless classic look' Spike declared. 'You're from the 2020's?' he asked, then looked thoughtful 'How's Man U doing in the Premiership?' he queried.

'For God's sake Spike of _all_ the things you could have asked…' Angel began.

'They get relegated to the First Division in 2022' the girl told Spike.

'… _that_ was the best possible one' Angel declared, changing tack with a joyful expression on his face as Spike's jaw dropped and he suddenly looked like someone had cut his heart out with a blunt spoon.

Faith took a step forward holding out her hand. She had been completely silent throughout, just standing there watching like she was observing events from a distance, like she was removed from events somehow 'You're my… daughter?' she asked, looking the girl up and down.

'If you can get a syringe tough enough you can test my DNA if you want' the girl replied, 'just ignore the supernatural stuff in the mix' she advised. 'I'm not really _your _daughter though because by coming here I created an alternate timeline' she told her. 'I'll never be born here now' she continued, 'but if you and Dad wanted to get me that baby brother I was asking for every day until I was twelve or so that would be nice' she told her, taking the sword into her left hand and out her right which Faith took gingerly.

'She's cold' Faith said, feeling the skin. She looked the girl in the eyes, they looked a lot like Wesley's with that shade of blue but her facial structure did look quite a bit like her own, except for the chin. She was also maybe a couple of inches taller which was presumably also down to Wesley.

'Look's pretty hot to me' Connor couldn't help saying, earning an elbow in the ribs from Dawn.

Fred crossed her arms. 'Does anyone remember when having a girl from the future appear who had four parents, two of which were _god's_, would have _totally_ freaked them out, because sometimes I'd love to be like that again' she declared.

'Yeah' Buffy agreed. 'One more time-travelling deity with weird hair and it's going to get clichéd.'

'Okay whatever your name is' Cordelia spoke up addressing the girl sternly. 'Why are you here?' she asked, 'and we don't want to hear the "need-to-know information" crap we get from her when we ask this stuff' she declared, indicating Illyria.

'That's not an issue, I _need_ you to know' the girl replied, turning to address Buffy though still holding Faith's hand. 'Long story short about a quarter of a century from now the human race is facing either slavery at best, annihilation at worst, and not just in one dimension' she declared. 'We're not talking some regional apocalypse that only effects one world, we're talking the real-deal, the threat of _total _racial servitude or extinction _everywhere_' she told them.

'_What_?' Buffy responded in shock. 'How?'

The girl knelt down to put her sword onto the floor. 'Okay here's what happens' she began. 'You know about parallel universes, right?' she asked rhetorically.

'Yeah sure' Buffy replied. 'This is one, Illyria changed it from what it was going to be.'

'Right' the girl agreed, 'and I'm changing it again' she said. 'But what that means is that there's also a load of other universes, not infinite but it might as well be, where things played out differently again' she told them. 'Well some of those alternate Earths _monumentally_ suck and _that's_ why the Dimension Wars break out.'

'The Dimension Wars?' Angel queried.

The girl nodded. 'Most of the alternate Earths aren't a problem' she said, 'we visited a few and sorted out some trouble there if we could.'

'Trouble?' Buffy asked.

'Yeah like, there was this dimension you found early on where the Master had killed you outright and escaped the Hellmouth in 1997' she said. 'Southern California was full of vampires he had raised like an army and his capital was in Sunnydale, right on top of the hellmouth' she said. 'Our people stepped in, you introduced him to your scythe and then tracked down _that_ dimensions version of Willow to get her to activate all the slayers there so they could clear up the rest of the vampire problem themselves.'

'Cool' Buffy responded, well not for the alternate me that was dead, she thought, but still. Not only saving the world she was going to get to add saving other peoples worlds to her résumé.

'So like I said lot's of the bad dimensions weren't really _so_ bad, I mean not by the standards of the fire and scythe-power _we_ could throw at a problem even if the locals sometimes thought they were in deep shit, well that _was_ true until we ran into Jasmines Crusade anyway, that happened in ten years or so in my timeline and was what Dad called a rude awakening' she said.

'Jasmine's Crusade?' Illyria queried. 'The Jasmine I met in the _original_ timeline?'

'That's the one' the girl replied, 'or an alternate one' she continued, 'not that it matters' she said. 'In any case whoever she was she had raised an army and was intent on conquering her way across the multiverse, bringing peace and contentment everywhere she went… after crushing resistance I mean' she continued. Then looked around 'Okay let's get some perspective on what we're talking about here' she said. 'A few of you fought against what you called "The Beast" , the rock demon I mean, I know it kicked your ass Mom, and before that cleaned the clocks of Angel's whole crew at once.'

'Worst beating I ever took' Faith admitted. 'Yeah even worse than what _you_ did to me B' she told Buffy whose eyes had narrowed.

'Okay you think it was tough but get this, it wasn't unique, it's only one of a whole _race_' the girl told them. 'We tried to find their homeworld but never did.'

'Bloody Hell!' Wesley exclaimed. 'There's more of them out there?'

'You used harsher language when we started running into them being used as shock troops, dozens sometimes hundreds at a time' the girl told him. 'Even the damn bug demons Jasmine used as regular grunts were bad enough, she conquered dimension after dimension until we stepped in' she said. '_We_ were the only ones that could, most worlds didn't have our portal technology, only had the one slayer anyway and even the worlds where all the potentials _had_ been activated only had one scythe and the girls didn't usually carry guns, they were easy pickings for Jasmine's Forces even though something in the slayer makeup means they're not as susceptible to Jasmine's mind-control as normal people.'

Illyria loked thoughtful. 'You were made to help fight this Army?' she suggested.

'No I was made to fight the _real _big-bad, the one that came later' the girl replied, shaking her head. 'The war against Jasmine kept going and going, we were just barely holding our own, winning some battles, losing a few more and _that_ was when the Turok'Han started showing up.'

'Turok'Han?' Buffy repeated in shock.

'It was 2021' the girl replied. 'Legions of Turok'Han started to appear everywhere, only thousands of them at first but we soon faced _millions_' she said then smiled. 'The only reason we weren't crushed immediately was that they started fighting Jasmine's Army too, so we ended up in a three-way fight' she said, '_then_ it was four-way when the Wolf, Ram and Hart panicked and starting sending troops too.'

'So where did the Uber-Vamps come from?' Dawn asked.

Buffy took a breath. 'From a world where The First won, right?' she asked.

'Right, that's what we think but we never found that parallel Earth either' the girl affirmed, 'judging by the numbers we encountered we reckoned he must have had at least a quarter-billion Turok'Han in his army by 2023 though judging by the number of worlds they took.'

'A quarter-_billion_?' Giles repeated in horror.

The girl nodded. 'By late 2024 we were nuking them wholesale whenever we could but they _still _kept coming' she said. 'And _then_ things got bad.'

'Jesus Christ' Cordelia said. 'It gets worse?'

'Oh yeah' the girl replied. 'The First Evil appeared, in person, and corporeal, on one of the worlds belonging to the Wolf, Ram and Hart' she told them.

'Corporeal?' Dawn responded, eyes widening.

'When the First's Army outnumbered the humans in its dimension it would become flesh' Illyria stated. 'It told Buffy so in the original timeline' she explained then paused. 'The First Evil made corporeal would be… unstoppable.'

'Wolfram-Hart lost thirty legions finding that out' the girl told them. 'Then it personally led its army to fight against Jasmine.'

'Good news for our side' Connor observed.

'Even Jasmines army, was beaten back in a few months and started losing worlds to the First's Jihad' the girl told them. 'All it did was buy us time.'

'Time to do what?' Spike asked. 'Build an super-weapon?' he asked. 'Some sort of souped-up Amulet like the one I used in Sunnydale?'

The girl chuckled. 'I've been called a super-weapon before' she said. 'By you as it happens' she told him.

'You?' Buffy queried in surprise.

'Hey you look at me and just see another run-of-the-mill god right?' the girl asked wryly. 'I'm _not_, _I_ was the great red, white and blue hope' she declared. 'The thing they thought could stop the first evil' she said. 'The _corporeal_ First Evil' she continued. 'That's why Illyria and Berith cooperated to create me, they _needed_ me.'

'Why?' Illyria asked. 'I do not detect any greater power than my own, perhaps a scent of the magicks but less than Berith or the Witch Willow' she said

'You'll guess if you put everything together' the girl said. 'Why choose me? My human mother was Faith here…' she began holding up their joined hands.

'You were a slayer' Faith realised.

'Activated just after I hit puberty, and I thought the PMS was bad' the girl joked. 'You don't know this but being a slayer is partially genetic and partially mystical, I've got twenty years of research notes into that with me for Fred, Willow and Knox to look through plus a shit-load more R&D stuff that you'll need to know.'

Illyria stared. 'The shell was a slayer, you also possess a soul' she said, then paused 'You can wield a scythe' she said, her eyes widening. 'That was your purpose' she declared. 'They have styled me the "God-Slayer" but _you_ were a _Slayer-God.'_

'Only weapon that can hurt him carried by something fast enough to fight him and strong enough to make the scythe count when I swing it' the girl told them. 'Plus big with the magicks, or at least big enough so I couldn't get blindsided if he got tricky' she continued. 'Well that was the _theory _anyhow' she said with a shrug.

Buffy frowned. 'So what happened in _practice_?' she asked.

'I got my ass kicked' the girl admitted. 'Barely escaped in one piece and I took three weeks to recover' she said. 'It was fucking _huge_' she declared with a grimace. 'Thirty, thirty-five feet tall and it had skin we bounced depleted-uranium anti-tank rounds off' she told them, '_enchanted_ depleted-uranium anti-tank rounds' she added for emphasis. 'We even tried nuking the thing, but it just froze time and teleported away the split seconds it saw the flash.'

'So then what?' Faith asked her.

'I tried again, got my ass kicked again, tried a third time carrying _two _scythes and got nowhere again, only survived _that_ time because Mother ran interference' she said. 'You people cannot _imagine_ how powerful the corporeal First Evil is' she stated. 'I watched Willow lead a coalition of Mages against it, ours and every decent Sorcerer and Warlock the Wolf, Ram and Hart could put together, and they only held it up for a few hours before they were too drained to keep fighting.'

'What about the Powers-That-Be?' Angel asked.

'Totally out of their league trust me' the girl responded. 'They best _they_ did was start sending our seers visions 24-7 so we could hopefully stay ahead of the game' she told him. 'Oh yeah and they created a cut-off pocket dimension with one Earth in it to try and keep at least one world safe, banished all demons and magic, fooled the slayers there into thinking it was like a reward for winning a "titanic battle" with evil' she said with a smirk. '_We_ wouldn't have even called it a minor skirmish' she said dismissively. 'Even that was only a temporary measure though' she continued. 'The dimensional barrier that keeps it isolated from the rest of he multiverse will decay over time' she explained. 'We doubt they've got more that five-hundred years until the walls come down and demons can get back in. Which will mean either Jasmine's Army or a lot more likely The First's.'

'It is obvious why you would seek to change history' Illyria stated. 'You wish us to launch a pre-emptive strike before these enemies become too powerful to defeat' she asked the girl.

'Yes, if you can find out where they're going to come from' the girl replied. 'But if you can't I'm giving you two decades worth of heads-up to get ready for the coming storm' she said. 'You need to end the war in Pylea for a start, it's a waste of resources and slayers and it is going to go on for years' she told them. 'I'll help you negotiate a truce with my Father Berith' she offered. 'After that you need to use the information I've bought with me to develop and manufacture the prototype techno-mystical weapons you'll need to level the playing field' she continued. 'You need to recruit every Mage and Slayer you can too, by force if necessary, I've got a list of them for you' she said. 'You need to start the Pathfinder program as soon as possible as well.'

'Pathfinder?' Buffy asked.

'Dimensional scouting' the girl replied. 'You need to reconnoitre other realities looking for potential allies, resources and possible threats, there's plenty out there' she said. 'If you're not proactive you'll be screwed because as it stands humanity is royally fucked.'

'Watch your language' Faith found herself saying, where the hell did _that_ come from, she wondered.

'Sorry Mom' the girl responded sheepishly. 'I've got a copy of the latest version of the Pathfinder device with me' she said. 'do yourself a favour Dawn and read the manual before you try it' she advised. 'Mother once had to rescue you from a world where you'd ended up accidentally and after two months living on nothing but shrimp you were pretty damn cranky.'

'Me?' Dawn replied. 'Why me?'

'_You're_ the Pathfinder Dawn, the key' the girl informed her. 'The device is just a way for you to use your power' she said. 'You wear it on your forearm, you can open portals to _anywhere_ so you scouted and if you found something you came back home and reported' she continued. 'The device records the dimensional coordinates so we could then use the portal orbs to get there without you.'

'I scouted other dimensions?' Dawn exclaimed. 'I'm important?'

'Of _course _you're important' the girl told her. 'You did the recon, your blood fuels the Portal Orbs, heck I used four pints of it from the stockpile to get here, had to do that in six separate jumps back through time and rest in between' she said, using heck instead of hell because she didn't want to get told off again.

'So anything else useful in that bag?' Buffy asked.

'Oh I've got presents for almost everybody' the girl replied with a grin. 'Angel, Spike I've two Gems of Amarra we picked up on our travels' she said. 'Don't think about smashing them, you'll need the near-invulnerability trust me' she said. 'Cordelia, I've got a talisman that will override the block that the Powers-That-Be have on you, you get back the visions and the other powers, and with practice more control than you had before, but don't try and levitate you were _never _any good at it' she advised. 'Fred, I've got the plans for a Quantum Computer thousands of times faster than anything that exists yet for you plus all kinds of software' she told the physicist, 'don't let Mother use it for playing games on or she'll never get off it, Connor I've got you a morphing bowie knife that becomes a sword, you got it from Willow once she figured out how Lindsey MacDonald got it to work, you need to be human but still part demon, he had the evil hand you've got the vampire thing' she explained.

'What do I get?' Willow asked intrigued.

'Your Book of Spells circa 2020 or so' the girl replied. 'Trust it it's almost the best thing in there' she added, indicating the bag. 'You once turned a battle around by raising all of our losses as zombies and sending them back into action.'

'That's… appalling' Willow responded in horror.

'Desperate times call for desperate measures' the girl observed with a shrug. She knew they were wussy back in these days but it still felt strange to get that reaction to something so trivial.

''Do you expect us to take your word on all of this?' Giles asked.

'No' the girl replied. 'I've got letters from most of you to yourselves in the bag plus about five hundred terabytes worth of data on a holographic crystal data storage drive that should be able to interface with the glorified calculators you use these days' she added.

'Five hundred _terabytes_?' Fred repeated. The way she said it indicated to Angel that that was a lot.

'Lots of it is video images' the girl told her. 'You might like the film Andrew put together of the Second Battle of the Quor-Toth from the live UAV feeds and helmet cameras, the musical score is awesome, we showed it to new recruits we were drafting from other dimensions' she said. 'We were conscripting slayers from every world we could find by then' she continued. 'We had eight thousand of them plus five thousand auxiliary troops fighting in that battle' she said. 'Artillery, air-support, hundreds of scythes' she reeled off. 'Left better than a million Turok'Han as dust before pulling out' she said proudly. 'Not including the one's we incinerated with H-Bombs as a farewell present' she said.

'Auxiliary troops?' Wesley queried.

'Human mercenaries mainly, plus a PDF Guards Regiment' the girl explained. 'Pylea fell in 2024 but we managed to get most of the army and civilian population out intact before the Turok'Han ate them' she said.

'You're really dropping a bombshell on us here… Rebecca' Wesley told her. 'It's all a great deal to take in' he added.

'I know that Dad' she replied. 'But believe me when I tell you if you don't hit the ground running right now you'll be condemning everyone, _everywhere_, to oblivion' she told him. 'There simply isn't another dimension we've found that has the potential to win this thing, _we_ were the best armed, the meanest and the most powerful there was and _we_ lost' she declared. 'Maybe with a twenty year head-start you can do better in this timeline' she said hopefully.

'Okay, so saying we buy this why did _you _come?' Cordelia asked. 'Why not Illyria?'

'If Mother had come back she would have been obliged to fight against the Illyria here, they could not tolerate each others presence, one would have had to accept the domination of the other to co-exist, and that would have been unthinkable to either.'

'I would not submit to the control of another, even myself' Illyria agreed. 'I would sooner perish than yield.'

'As offspring I could, though by rights one day I should challenge Mother for leadership' the girl told them.

'As I challenged my own birth parent' Illyria agreed. 'The fight…' Illyria paused ton consider the terminology, '_she _put up was ferocious' she told them. 'I was truly proud of my lineage when after an epic struggle I finally triumphed and ended her life and reign' she said.

Giles rolled his eyes. 'A matricide and a regicide in one fell swoop' he said wryly. 'How efficient.'

'Human's also wish their children to outdo them do they not?' Illyria responded.

Buffy rolled her eyes 'Not in single combat to the death' she told the Old One.

'What greater indication of worthy genes and an effective education could there be?' Illyria asked rhetorically. 'You might be interested to know that Enyo was my mothers name also. I undoubtedly named my own offspring in her honour.'

'Why am I not surprised at finding that out' Giles responded. 'Dawn how's your Ancient Greek getting on?' he asked.

'Better than my Latin' Dawn replied. 'I've been taking lessons from Medousa, why?' she asked.

'What does Enyo mean?' Giles asked her.

Dawn grimaced as she realised it wasn't just a name. 'Horror' she translated.

'Indeed' Giles told her. 'Enyo was the name of the Greek Goddess of War and Violence' he announced. 'Also known as "The Waster of Cities" and usually described as being drenched in blood' he added. 'The Roman's called her Bellona, which comes from…' he trailed off looking at dawn.

'Bellum meaning "War", it's also the root of the English word belligerent' Dawn noted.

'I was glad to see during my studies of your world she was still remembered so' Illyria told them. 'You have a great name to live up to' she told her daughter solemnly.

'I laid waste to a small town once' Rebecca/Enyo declared. 'They had it coming' she told Buffy hurriedly, 'Jasmine Cultists, brainwashed religious fanatics' she explained. 'They had stoned a couple of our girls to death' she told her. 'I did spare the children' she added.

Illyria nodded her approval. 'A worthy start to earning your name I am sure' she told her daughter appreciatively.

'Okay so it sounds like the future is going to suck' Cordelia opined.

'Hopefully not as much as it did' Rebecca/Enyo responded. 'Not that it _could_ to be honest.'

'We shall return to the Hyperion' Illyria declared. 'Do you like Mexican Food?' she asked the girl.

'Not really' Rebecca/Enyo replied apologetically.

Illyria looked horrified. 'I blame your side of the family' she declared, pointing an accusatory finger at Faith and glaring.

'Hey don't look at me, I could murder an enchilada' Faith retorted defensively.

'_Berith_' Illyria realised. 'This must be _his_ fault then' she stated angrily.

'Mention it when you ask for child support' Spike advised.

'Yeah good idea' Buffy agreed, 'make that god take some responsibility… for what an alternate him did in another timeline in the future' she declared, then paused. 'Damn you're going to need a good lawyer and most of them already work for him at Wolfram-Hart' she said. 'For a _non_-morality based definition of "good" I mean' she added.

'I've got a daughter' Wesley said, looking off into the distance. 'And she's not even _really_ mine.'

'My heart bleeds' Giles responded sardonically, 'depending how you look at it I've got three or five of them.'

'Maybe six if you keep seeing that single-parent waitress' Dawn interjected.

'Restaurant Manager' Giles snapped back.

Angel walked over to Wesley. 'You know speaking as a man whose son appeared from a portal as a teenager I'd just like to say I'm glad it's not me this time' he told him happily.

'I'm not a teenager, I just _look_ 18, and always will do' Rebecca/Enyo responded. 'I'm nearly twenty-one' she told them.

'Okay so that's not fair' Angel told Wesley. 'You got to skip the teenage years.'

Wesley smiled. 'Divine intervention' he said. 'The gods are apparently on my side' he joked.

'So how are you going to tell Roger in London he's got a grown up granddaughter who's part demon god?' Giles asked.

Wesley grimaced. 'I hadn't even told him about Faith yet' he admitted.

'Brighten up, he might have a heart attack' Giles suggested.

'Things _have_ largely been going my way of late' Wesley agreed. 'You might be right' he continued in a more upbeat fashion.

Spike frowned and looked to Fred. 'Don't you feel sorry for people who had crappy parents?' he asked her.

Fred nodded, then her eyes widened as something occurred to her. 'Illyria are you going to tell Mom and Dad?' she asked.

'Yes the Burkles should be informed' Illyria agreed. 'They are Enyo's grandparents too after a fashion' she said.

'I bet she does great for presents at birthdays and Christmas' Dawn observed. 'Thinking of which I never got that Porsche…'

'Not a chance Dawn' Buffy told her.

'Oh well' Dawn replied. 'Who needs a Porsche anyway when you can portal?' she asked rhetorically with a grin. 'Dawn Summers, Inter-dimensional Scout and her superhuman sidekick boyfriend Connor.'

'_Sidekick_?' Connor responded irately.

'We live strange, strange lives' Cordelia observed thoughtfully. 'Hey if I'm going to start getting visions again does that mean I get a raise?' she asked.

'I just want to find out if wearing that gem means Spike can get a tan' Buffy responded. 'You know vampires from all over the world will be after those.'

'Ain't a vampire in the world that'll cross us now and you know it' Spike replied happily. 'Anyone interested in hitting the beach tomorrow morning?' he asked. 'Bugger I need to buy some shorts' he realised. 'Can I borrow your convertible?' he asked Angel.

'No Spike' Angel replied flatly.

'Oi Wesley can I borrow your Jaguar?' Spike asked, changing tack.

'Crash it and we'll find out how invulnerable you are wearing that ring' Wesley told him darkly.

'Cheers Mate' Spike replied happily. 'Now you see that's what a _friend_ does' he told Angel. 'Not a tight selfish git like you.'

'We're _not_ friends Spike' Angel told the other vampire. 'I don't _like_ you.'

'Miserable tosser' Spike retorted. 'Hey sweetheart can I get hold of that gem soon, I might want to have it reset in a ring that didn't look as festive as the last one' he said.

'Festive?' Dawn asked.

'You know, as in Gay' Spike explained. 'Not that there's anything wrong with that' he added quickly, avoiding the look Willow had sent in his direction.

'So are you going to use your gem to have fun or just brood in the basement instead?' Cordelia asked Angel. 'You could take Nina out somewhere before dark, that'll throw her.'

'We'll see' Angel replied. 'For everyone concerned I'm better off _not_ being too happy.' He was intrigued about whether or not Spike was going to tan though, best to let _him_ find that out.

As soon as they got back to the Hyperion Whistler was waiting for them in the Lobby under guard and apparently the Powers-That-Be were _pissed_. Enyo told him to let them know to go fuck themselves, Faith did _not_ complain about the language.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_It's pronounced E-NYE-OH if you weren't sure._

_And yes I **do** like a nice sweeping epic storyline thanks for asking :-p_

_This ongoing, and becoming ludicrously long Fanfic continues to run on reviews._


	2. Chapter 2

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER TWO**

**Hyperion Hotel - Los Angeles - July 2004**

'Buffy it would take me months to properly _skim_ through that much data' Willow responded with a sigh. 'We'll be going through it for years' she continued. 'Some of the base technology the R&D sections references won't even be _invented _for fifteen years, or at least it _wouldn__'__t_ have been, because Knox is planning to patent everything he can before the real inventor invents it.'

The Chief Slayer frowned. 'But have you found anything to contradict her story?' she asked.

'Not so far' Willow replied. 'If anything the sheer volume of files makes it unlikely she was lying to us, there's just too much corroborating evidence' she said. 'They must have downloaded their _entire_ database into that black box Enyo gave us, your electronic appointment diary from 2015 onwards is on there for Hecate's sake!'

Buffy's eyebrows raised, then she pursed her lips. 'Do I ever get a social life?' she asked.

'I've got to assume you do because on February 7th 2017 you have to take your son to the paediatrician' Willow told her, tapping the screen of her laptop which was connected via an Ethernet cable to the small nondescript database their latest time-jumping god had provided.

My _son_?' Buffy blurted out.

'Hey don't go thinking you're the only one getting shocks like that' Willow told her. 'Kennedy is listed on the database as Kennedy Rosenberg, we must have got married and she took my surname.'

Buffy frowned. 'I'd ask more but I'd like to keep some mystery in my life' she said.

'You do realise that none of that is actually likely to happen now anyway' Fred interjected, walking in carrying one of Knox's high-tech PDA units. 'At least not in the same way' she continued. 'We're already changing history, the ripple effect gets more and more pronounced as you get further away from the point the timeline diverged' she told them then turned the PDA screen around to show Buffy. 'We used the point of a scythe to get a sample of blood and tissue from Rebecca, or Enyo depending on what you want to call her' she said. 'After sifting out the demony bit's the DNA was a match for Wesley and Faith, she was, or will be… would have been?…oh hell whatever the right words are, she's their daughter.'

Buffy nodded. 'Given the story she told about huge demon armies and the end of the human race I'd have been happier if you'd told me it was a pack of lies' she told Fred.

'Sorry' Fred apologised. 'I guess the future _is_ kinda sucky.'

'Hey we're already changing it right' Willow noted in an upbeat fashion. 'We don't need to make the same mistakes we did originally.'

'You heard what she said Willow' Buffy responded. 'The corporeal First Evil, hundreds of _millions_ of Turok'Han… we could make no mistakes and _still _lose' she pointed out.

Fred grimaced. 'You never met The Beast' she said. 'Turok'Han were nothing compared to him.'

'Did you tell Wes and Faith about the results?' Buffy asked.

'Just before I came to see you' Fred replied. 'I don't think they were surprised but I don't think Faith has managed to get to grips with it yet' she opined.

'Having a daughter that looks maybe five years younger than you might take some getting used to' Willow suggested.

'At least we're in LA' Buffy replied. 'People will just ask Faith who her plastic surgeon is when Enyo calls her "Mom", they look enough alike that people won't automatically assume she's her step daughter instead.'

Fred grinned. 'Well Illyria seems happy enough anyway' she said. 'Except for the Mexican Food thing.'

'I have so got to ask Rebecca… Enyo… whatever it is we're going to call her what it was like growing up with Wes, Faith and Illyria' Buffy declared. 'Can you imagine the family dynamics?' she asked rhetorically.

Willow smiled. 'I've got visions of a little girl doing a finger-painting of "Mummy and Me and Daddy and 'Lyria" and her parents being called in because the school shrink is concerned about the imaginary blue-haired woman "who's a god and daddy's girlfriend".'

'Aw cute' Fred responded with a sweet smile. 'Knox took a look at that "Pathfinder" device that lets Dawn open portals' she told Buffy turning towards her, 'Dawn might be less keen on it when she finds out what it does when it's activated' she said.

'What does it do?' Buffy queried.

'Two big needles spring out and stick themselves in her arm' Fred told her. 'That's how it accesses the power in her blood.'

'Ouch' Willow said cringing.

'Good' Buffy said. 'That might put paid to her wanting to play with it for a while' she said with relief. 'I wouldn't trust Dawn to read a map let alone navigate the multiverse.'

'The other Dawn used it' Fred pointed out.

'The _other _Dawn was years older' Buffy replied evenly. 'We've got the Portal Orb, Illyria and now Enyo, we don't need the Pathfinder thing.'

'Enyo isn't great at portals, not inter-dimensional anyway she told me' Willow told them. 'She can't teleport very accurately either or do any magicks too well for that matter' she continued. 'I thought that might be the case so I asked her.'

'Why not?' Buffy asked.

'The basics of using the magicks is focus and control' Willow explained. 'If you had two distinct personalities sharing your head that would be tricky wouldn't you think?' she asked. 'She _can_ do stuff, pretty high-end stuff, but it's not reliable and she has to pause to concentrate' she continued. 'Oh and she also said that she can't spar with most people either for the same reason, she hasn't got the self-control and mental discipline to guarantee she'll pull her punches.'

Buffy frowned. 'To quote you earlier, "ouch".'

'Yeah' Willow agreed. 'She said she broke a slayers jaw finding that out' she said. 'After that she only sparred with Glory usually, nobody minded how hard _she_ got hit.'

'Hell, Glory getting hit full-contact is a _positive_' Buffy declared.

'So _not_ the super-weapon they were hoping for' Fred opined.

'I guess not' Willow replied. 'On the other hand can you imagine what someone with Illyria's strength can do swinging a scythe?'

'Not enough' Buffy pointed out, 'the First Evil survived it.'

Willow shrugged. 'Guess we'll have to figure out a new plan when it's our turn' she said. 'We've got twenty years.'

'Not necessarily' Fred replied. 'Changing things could push that schedule forward, or maybe even back' she told them, 'but I doubt we're that lucky' she added fatalistically.

'They tried some pretty desperate things' Willow observed. 'There's a reference to me, alternate future me I mean, coming up with a plan to take out a good chunk of Jasmines Army by destroying an entire world.'

'You're kidding?' Buffy exclaimed.

Willow shook her head. 'No I'm not' she responded. 'The idea was to draw the bulk of the opposition onto a world that had already been depopulated by the First Evil and for me to activate the statue of Proserpexa on Kingmans Bluff, burn the whole planet to a cinder like I was going to do… you know when I was kinda evil' she said.

Buffy blinked. 'We'll put that one in the "last resort" category' she decided.

'They were already throwing nuclear bombs around like confetti by then, stole the things from a dozen different parallel words' Willow told her. 'They used Nerve Gas against Jasmines Insect Demon Troops' she continued. 'One time they even tried that "Black Tomorrow" Plague but the bugs had really good immune systems so it was a total bust.'

'Nuclear, Chemical _and _Biological' Fred noted. 'They really covered all their bases on the WMD front.'

'I can't imagine ever doing something like that' Buffy stated.

'If you push somebody to the edge they'll come out fighting and they're likely to fight dirty' Willow opined. 'I guess you decided it was victory at any cost because the cost of defeat was too much higher.'

Buffy sighed. 'I don't want to ever be in that position' she said, eyes cast downwards for a second before she raised them and straightened up, fixing Willow and Fred in her sights. 'We are not going to end up in that position' she declared. 'We've got a head-start on the technology and the magicks' she continued. 'I don't care what it costs, I want options, I want new weapons and I want solutions.'

'We'll need more R&D Staff' Fred told her. 'I mean Knox and I are pretty sharp, all false modesty aside, but we need more peoples input' she said. 'If you let us approach David Nabbit his company has some of the best computer people in the business, we can see about granting him the rights to develop some of the future tech for us, we get results faster than we would on our own' she noted 'and we'll negotiate a good share of the profits when he drives Microsoft and Intel out of business… because with our two decade beyond state-of-the-art technology he _will_.'

'Fine do it' Buffy replied. 'Tell Anya to sell our shares in any business we're going to destroy first though' she told her.

'Same thing with the Spell Book' Willow announced. 'I can cast some of them already and they're really neat, but it'll take me ages to figure out the patterns of others let alone try to improve on them' she said. 'I'll need Amy for a start, she's the best non-me Witch I know.'

'Go get her then' Buffy replied evenly. 'She's not safe running around free anyhow, we'll call it community service.'

'Sounds better than kidnapping and indentured servitude' Fred agreed with a wry smile.

Buffy crossed her arms. 'We tried brawn' she said, 'and brute-force didn't cut it' she told them. 'We've got the edge now and if we're going to do better this timeline around it'll be _brains_ that does it' she declared. 'You're the smartest two people on the team, the future of the human race could be dependent on what's between your ears so I expect you both to use it to the best of your ability' she told them.

Willow noted the pained expression on Fred's face. 'But you know, no pressure' she told the physicist before grimacing herself.

**Park – Los Angeles – July 2004**

'This is the same park where the angst-laden half-breed met his werewolf mate' Illyria stated, taking a seat on a stone bench. It was a hot day and although it would have needed to be several hundred degrees warmer for her to have to bothered by the weather she was dressed in a seasonally appropriate outfit, a summer dress that Wesley seemed to like her in, likely because it was fairly short she realised.

'Love at first bite' Wesley couldn't resist saying, earning a groan from Faith who was regretting the amount of dark colours in her wardrobe because she was roasting her ass off out here. Wesley wasn't exactly a fan of the LA summer either but he was dressed better for it in a loose cotton shirt.

Rebecca grinned at her Dads bad joke and took a seat next to Illyria, facing Wesley and Faith who had positioned themselves on another bench. 'I just thought we needed to get out of the hotel' she said. 'Sorry if it's making you uncomfortable out here Mom' she said, noting the beads of sweat on Faith's forehead. 'I've been merged with Enyo so long I've started to forget what it's like to be too hot, or too cold for that matter' she told them. It had become apparent that by some sort of mutual agreement if Rebecca was "driving" the shell, the girls hair and eyes were brown, all bright red hair and crystalline blue eyes meant it was purely Enyo, and a mix of the two, such as brown hair with red streaks and ordinary human blue eyes could be either, or somehow both, and was the girls default appearance.

'I'm just more of a night person' Faith replied, taking a swig from an ice-cold can of coke Wesley had just bought for her from a vendor. 'But I guess you know that?' she added after swallowing.

'No not really' Rebecca replied with a shrug. 'You were _always_ taking me out to parks and the beach and stuff when I was little that's why I said about coming here.'

Faith looked up into the clear blue sky. 'I guess having a kid scrambled my brains because they're being boiled out here' she said.

'We could move up to the next benches where there's shade' Wesley suggested.

'In a minute' Faith told him then gave Rebecca her full attention. 'So I've got to know' she said. 'What was it like having us two for parents?' she asked nervously. Faith had never put much thought into ever having children, probably because her own childhood had sucked beyond belief and she was scared of being as crap a mother as hers had been.

'It was more like you _three_ really Mom' Rebecca replied. 'Illyria was always around too' she explained. 'She was my godmother you know, before she became my God-Mother I mean' she joked. 'That caused a lot of arguments though' she added.

'Arguments?' Wesley queried.

Enyo nodded. 'Illyria was kinda critical of Mom sometimes' she told him, 'you know, parenting wise' she explained. 'And everything else for that matter' she added.

'That would be understandable' Illyria stated. 'The shells parents provided a far superior upbringing to Fred than either Faith or Wesley's managed for their respective offstring' she noted. 'I likely have a better understanding of proper childrearing than either of them' she declared. 'Plus my innate intellectual superiority would surely help.'

'And it was saying things like_ that_ which caused a little friction' Rebecca responded noting Faiths reaction. 'I soon found out how to stop the arguments though' she told them. 'I went crying to Dad and he bawled you both out' she said. 'I got _so_ good at crying on cue that way' she admitted with a smile.

Wesley frowned, mainly because he knew he'd be easily manipulated in that fashion by a little girl, especially his own. He'd watched Giles usually iron resolve buckle many a time when confronted by one of the twins.

'I just can't imagine myself as a Mom' Faith remarked then pause. 'And I've been thinking about something you said about not expecting a hug from me' she continued in an uncertain manner. Faith wasn't big on that stuff, it made her uncomfortable although she had developed more tolerance for it lately thanks to all-too-frequent hugs with Dana, the idea that she might not give her own _daughter_ enough physical affection because of that hang-up bothered her though.

Rebecca pursed her lips for a second. 'When I was about eight maybe I worked out you didn't like to hug so much, not like Dad or Illyria, so I stopped going to you for them' she said. 'You always _would_, if I was hurt or something, but you always seemed happier if you were doing something else' she continued. 'Like combing my hair, you liked doing that, or at least I think you did.'

'Oh' Faith replied, looking down at the ground, feeling bad that she couldn't even learn to enjoy hugging her own little girl. 'Wait' she said looking up again, 'you went to _Illyria_ for hugs?'

Rebecca nodded. 'If I had a bad dream or something, rather than wake you or Dad I tracked down Illyria because she was always awake anyway' she replied.

'But she's... well she's _Illyria_' Faith stated, mildly dumbfounded.

'I am _extremely_ huggable' Illyria declared with a definitely aggrieved tone at the implication she wasn't. 'Tell her Wesley' she insisted. 'Tell her that I am the better of us at displays of physical affection' she ordered.

'Oh there's no way I'm going to get involved in another conversation that's going to escalate into a major argument with me stuck in the middle' Wesley replied quickly, 'like the one where you two were trying to get me to say who was better in...' Wesley trailed off as he remembered the company 'martial arts' he said.

'Smoothly done Dad' Rebecca told him, '_nice_ save' she continued sardonically. 'Never would have guessed what you were _going_ to say' she told him, tongue firmly in cheek.

Wesley blushed despite himself then grinned. 'Well at least you turning up now means that I've avoided the difficult questions when you were growing up' he said.

Rebecca looked thoughtful. 'Well you said you'd tell me where babies came from when I was twenty-one and that's happening soon' she told him.

'Funny' Wesley responded, flatly.

'So was it "when a Mommy and a Daddy and Daddy's skinny blue demon girlfriend love each other _very_ much...' Faith asked with a grin.

'Something like that' Rebecca told her, grinning back. 'You did the talk, Dad got too flustered and you wouldn't _let_ Illyria.'

'You had affection for me then?' Illyria asked, changing the subject.

'You were always my weird second Mom' Rebecca told her. 'Although I always thought my friends families were weird because they weren't like mine' she said.

'So these feelings would have been in the shell when Enyo was created within it' Illyria reasoned. 'She will have the same regard for Wesley, Faith and I as I do for Fred's parents then?'

'She says to say yes although the feelings make her uncomfortable' Rebecca replied. 'I'd turn over the shell to her but there's other people in the park and the colour switch is kinda involuntary sometimes' she added.

'You have limited control over your powers' Illyria noted. 'This is unfortunate.'

'Hey I can teleport and you can't' Rebecca replied evenly. 'I, we, have to concentrate hard to do it at all accurately so it takes a while, but we did find a work-around if we have to leave in a hurry.'

'Yes?' Wesley asked curiously.

Rebecca nodded. 'If I teleport without concentrating I only end up in roughly the destination I intend to be at, the longer I thing about it the better the aim' she explained. 'If I just go without getting my head clear and focused, which is hard with two of us in here, I only get within the rough vicinity, sometimes a few feet, sometimes it's yards away.'

'That doesn't sound too bad' Faith opined.

'That's a few yards in any direction' Rebecca noted. 'I could end up inside a wall' she noted with obvious discomfort. 'Air moves out of the way when you teleport somewhere, solid objects not so much.'

'Messy' Illyria remarked.

'Not something I ever want to do' Rebecca agreed. 'So like I said I found a work-around for if I need to teleport out fast.'

'Which is?' Wesley asked.

'Teleport to a point fifty to a hundred feet above where I _want_ to be and fall from there' Rebecca told him in a somewhat embarrassed tone. 'Even if I'm still out by a few yards I'm still not inside a solid object and it's not like the fall is dangerous, my bones take a lot of breaking.'

'That is a highly undignified means of transportation' Illyria told her. 'Not befitting of a god.'

'Yeah' Rebecca agreed, 'Enyo gets embarrassed about it' she said. 'As for me I'm just stoked I can teleport at all' she said. 'Which does give me an advantage over you _Mother_' she noted with a wink at Illyria.

'You are not so powerful that I could not put you over my knee young lady' Illyria replied evenly. 'You will show me due deference and respect' she informed the girl.

'You'll be threatening to send me to Vahla ha'nesh without dinner for a time-out next' Rebecca responded with a grin. 'I kid, I kid' she said hurriedly in response to a definite flash of annoyance in Illyria's eyes.

Illyria turned towards Faith. 'The insolence is indicative of your influence in the child's upbringing' she stated.

Faith smiled. 'A little sass is good in a girl' she replied. 'Stops guys thinking they can control you.'

'You didn't think the sass was good when I was fourteen trust me' Rebecca told her. 'It was so easy to play you guys off on each other to get my own way.'

'The Machiavellian streak is indicative of your influence in the child's upbringing' Faith told Illyria smugly. Christ she was glad she'd read that book Wesley had given her to try and give her an insight into the way Illyria saw things. _The Prince_ wasn't very long but damn if it wasn't worth a look if you wanted to know how politics worked in the real world, or how self-serving, ambitious megalomaniacal Old Ones acted. People thought Faith was stupid sometimes, she'd been told it often enough by teachers, and her mother too, but there was a big difference between being stupid and uneducated, a point Wesley kept on reminding her.

'So what are you planning to do now?' Wesley asked the girl.

Rebecca looked around. 'Get used to living in the Dark Ages' she replied. 'And try to get used to seeing people wearing things like that' she said indicating Faith's tight low-cut top. 'Fashion was more conservative where I came from' she said, 'longer skirts for a start' she continued. 'And anyhow you're my _Mom_' she told Faith with seeming disapproval.

Wait until you see her dance, Wesley thought to himself with amusement. 'We'll take you shopping' he told the girl. 'I imagine the fashion circle keeps on turning relentlessly' he said. 'And now I'm concerned that 1970's bell-bottomed trousers for men might make a revival' he added with a shudder.

'I bet Giles still has some in his wardrobe' Faith responded. They might even be tartan she thought, there was a rumour he was a Bay City Rollers fan in his youth, now that was something worth a shudder. 'That shade sounds good' she added. If she was going to get hot a sweaty she expected to be getting more fun out of it.

Illyria didn't bother to hide the look of superiority that flashed across her face at Faith's weakness as they shifted to a more shaded location. 'We will talk to Berith tomorrow' she told the girl.

'As soon as let him start seeing my arrival here in visions he'll be there in a flash' Rebecca replied, literally she thought to herself. 'Bet you he's wearing the same expression you were when I dropped through that portal Dad' she told Wesley.

'He's an evil bastard' Faith declared.

'More amoral than immoral, or evil Mom' Rebecca told her. 'And he's not dumb, although his shell was a _serious_ asshole' she added. 'You can find his record on the database, that's high-school, employment and criminal record' she noted. 'Father might get visions of the future but he badly underestimated the effect the shells memories and remnants would have on his feelings and personality.'

'I can empathise' Illyria responded. 'In fact my ability to do that _at all_ is part of the remnant' she told them. 'He may try to kill you as a threat' she pointed out.

'Yeah' Rebecca agreed. 'Can I borrow your scythe Mom?' she asked. 'That should keep him civil' she said. 'I lost mine.'

'How?' Faith queried.

'I misplaced it in the back of the First Evil' Rebecca answered. 'Never got the chance to pull it back out' she added. 'Pity really, it was the 3.0 prototype, you haven't got the metallurgy to make those yet' she said rolling her sleeve to reveal a number tattooed on her upper arm underneath the crossed scythes symbol Buffy had come up with. 'That was the serial number on my scythe' she explained. 'The tattoo predated me going god because otherwise you'd have needed a scythe to put it there' she said.

'Nice workmanship' Faith told her, inspecting the detail.

'At the time you told me you were going to make me get it lasered off' Rebecca told here.

'Oh great' Faith responded. 'I turn into a square' she said with distaste.

'That's indicative of my influence upon you I'm sure' Wesley remarked wryly.

'Could be but on the reverse side Mom does get you to start shaving I think' Rebecca responded.

Faith looked at Wesley. 'Well you look good and all' she said, 'but it's kinda itchy' she continued. 'I know wire wool wouldn't bother_ her_' she said indicating Illyria, 'but some of us have sensitive skin.'

Wesley rubbed the stubble on his chin. 'Sorry the image stays' he told her deadpan.

'Hey I know for a_ fact_ I can break you now' Faith told him.

'So I guess that's_ two_ destinies we've got to thwart' Wesley replied with a smirk.

* * *

**_Note from the Author:_**

_This fanfic runs on reviews, and I hope you're enjoying the new story so far_ :-)

_If you click the link on my profile page here to the Compelled Series over at **Twisting the Hellmouth** (where it's also posted in a revised/slightly improved version) you'll find a new set of stories based in the same AU called "**Tales from the Compelled 'Verse**". These are by both myself and other writers, and anybody is invited to add to it. I hope you all take a look_ :-)


	3. Chapter 3

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER THREE**

**Township**** – ****Pylea**** – July 2004**

'Get down!' the girl screamed and being one to heed good advice Douglas Ashton threw himself to the ground just as the slayer ten yards behind him filled the space where he had been with supersonic lead, punching a nicely spaced grouping of bloody holes through the torso of the Phalanjoid Demon which had been intent on taking the top of his head off. The demon collapsed to the ground, its chest riddled with holes and its internal organs a shredded mess as it fought for its last breath. The slayer considered putting the thing out of its misery but almost immediately decided to let it suffer instead. 'That thing was about to suck your brains out' the girl told Ashton. 'Poor bastard would have died of malnutrition' she couldn't resist adding as she ejected the empty magazine on her G-36K and slid in a fresh one.

The mercenary half rolled to his feet and recovered his own carbine from where it had been knocked out of his hands by the Phalanjoid. 'I miss the days when you were all intimidated by me' he said despondently.

'The apt pupil becomes the master right' the girl replied with a grin. 'Come on you're not paid by the hour' she pointed out.

Ashton bought his weapon to his shoulder. 'Don't abuse the hired help' he told her loudly, to be heard over the sound of gunfire from across town. By Pylean standards it was a decent sized settlement with well over a thousand residents, so clearing the place out was taking time especially given the fact it wasn't considered friendly to Narwek or Sebassis occupation troops so they couldn't just kick in doors and throw in grenades. 'Alright next house' he said moving to the next door along hoping that something nasty wasn't going to jump out at him again, that was getting old fast.

'Let me do it' the slayer told him.

'Oh yeah like I'm going to let a fifteen year old girl take the dangerous job' Ashton retorted, moving up to pound on the door. 'Pylean Defence Forces' he bellowed. 'The Archduke Sebassis is a rat-fucked cowardly son of a bitch who takes it up the ass from the Wolf, Ram and Hart every night' he yelled through the door.

A howl of anger from inside the roughly built dwelling had Ashton step aside just as the door was smashed off its hinges and about seven feet's worth of snarling Fyarl came crashing out just in time to have a gunbarrel placed against the side of its head. It's last conscious thought before the small human creature holding the gun ventilated its brains with a short burst of fire was that maybe what some of the other clans said about his species dangerous lack of self-control had some truth to it.

'If these things were any dumber' Ashton observed, getting ready to check out the rest of the house as he stepped over the demons corpse, 'we couldn't kill them because they'd be too stupid to know they were dead' he announced.

A loud explosion in the next street made Ashton look up as he fished a stun grenade from his webbing gear. Despite the presence of the Fyarl there could still be friendlies in there, or neutrals at least and throwing in a fragmentation, or worse an incendiary grenade into the building would be a bad move when they were supposed to be _winning_ hearts and minds not just staking the former and blowing out the latter. 'RPG' he told the slayer with him. 'I guess they found something seriously worth blowing up' he theorised, pulling the pin on the small grenade. 'Ready?' he asked as the girl moved up alongside to follow him in after the grenade exploded.

'Do it' she said, tensing for action.

Ashton gently pitched the grenade inside where it exploded with a flare of bright light and a deafening boom which often effected demons with their superior senses even worse than humans. The mercenary entered the small home weapon at his shoulder ready to fire just like they'd taught him in urban warfare training and as he'd gone on to teach the girls.

'Shit' he swore, finding a family of one of the local demon clans torn to pieces inside. Whether the Fyarl had been ordered to kill them because they were considered anti-Narwek, or if the demon had done it just for kicks was unknown. The mercenary doubted the corpses gave a shit either way as the two of them quickly checked out the other rooms in the dwelling then headed out to check the next.

They had met and defeated most of the small garrison in a stand-up fight in fields nearby and had quickly routed them, the survivors retreating back into the township. Against a properly armed human enemy they would have never followed them in to finish the job, urban warfare could be bloody, but slayers with automatic weapons versus teeth and claws wasn't exactly a fair fight so they decided to clear out the rest before leaving and make another example to add to all the others.

The tell-tale chatter of a light-machinegun clear across town indicated that Vi must have called in support over where she was. The belt-fed weapons were mounted on swivelling mounts on the back of each of their two Land Rover four-wheel-drives, and although they kicked ass, when you're a hundred and fifty miles inside enemy territory you try not to waste ammunition so they were only bought into action sparingly. Putting out over a thousand rounds a minute the M249's could use up their ammo supply even faster than they could reduce the opposition's demon supply.

This was only a long-range raid, they had blown up a bridge nearby, shot up a small couple of small enemy garrisons and after they put the hurt on the opposition here and left some propaganda leaflets behind they were heading back to the PDF lines to prepare for the next mission. It was pinpricks really, more intended to keep Narwek and his allies off-balance, while the Pylean Defence Forces built up sufficient strength to restart their offensive towards the capital than it was to really inconvenience the occupiers, but even if the damage was minor it still stung and meant that Sebassis's Legions were widely scattered trying to protect supply lines and important infrastructure instead of concentrating in large enough numbers to counter the technological superiority and better tactical doctrine of the numerically inferior PDF troops.

The sound of a second Rocket Propelled Grenade going off caused Ashton to frown, they'd better not be wasting those he thought to himself, he knew it was a lot of fun to fire one of the things but after what they'd already used they only had four left in case they ran across any Wolfram and Hart APC's. They had a grenade launcher but those dinky forty-millimetre grenades didn't have a fraction of the power of an RPG round, sometimes he was reminded just how young the girls were when they started playing with the ordinance, moulding plastic explosive into shapes like Play-Doh was bad enough but the juggling live grenades was bound to end badly. 'Those RPG-7 rounds don't grow on trees' he declared into his radio headset, switching it to transmit on the command frequency.

'_Big fucking demon Jay_' a girl responded, using the nickname they had for him. Perković who was still back inside PDF lines was called "Silent Bob".

'Anything under twelve feet tall ain't worth it' Ashton responded.

'_Gotcha_' the girl replied. '_Size matters_' she deadpanned.

'Damn straight' Ashton replied, turning his microphone back off and approaching the next house, kicking the door twice to knock. 'May the Gods save Princess Cordelia, rightful ruler of Pylea' he yelled. 'Death to the traitor Narwek and the Covenant' he added.

'May it be so' a muffled voice responded from inside.

'It's so damn easy when they don't do sneaky or lying' Ashton told the slayer next to him. 'Next house and let's pick up the pace' he said. The spy network that Lorne had established told them there weren't any human troops from Wolfram and Hart's Black op's mercenaries in the area which helped.

'You're the one slowing _me_ down' the slayer retorted.

'And now _you_ don't get to choose what I put on the CD player in the Rover when we're back on the plains' Ashton told her.

With the girl muttering something disparaging about his taste in music they moved to the next house. They didn't know that this was going to be the last raid or otherwise they would have probably blown up that god-awful new bronze statue of Narwek in the centre of town with one of the remaining RPG's before they left. As it was they just wrote some obscenities in Pylean script all over it, like many a Foreign Legionnaire Ashton prided himself in the number of languages he could swear in and now that included a few demon tongues for good measure. For his part Perković had surprised the locals by becoming fluent in Pylean in less than six months, not that he was any less laconic in that language than he was in Croatian, English, French or German.

When they got back to friendly territory they found out the news from Earth about what was coming, the slayers were horrified, Ashton just asked for a pay rise.

**Hyperion Hotel - Los Angeles - July 2004**

Buffy pinched the bridge of her nose, she definitely had a migraine coming again and lack of sleep was the likely culprit. It was one thing to be the "Chosen One" with the weight of the world on your shoulders but that seemed so trivial compared with the situation she found herself in now. 'We've all seen the video recordings' she said. 'Cities on fire, bodies decomposing in the streets, whole worlds lost to the Turok'Han, whole worlds brainwashed and enslaved by Jasmine' she continued, 'the future sucks so what are we going to do about it?' she asked looking around the packed conference room.

'Mobilise for war' Illyria responded from her position standing near the door, there weren't enough chairs and she didn't need to sit down to be comfortable anyway. 'The time for half-measures and prevarication is over' she declared, 'you must abandon any foolish notions of restraint or seeking to keep to some outdated code of conduct' she stated. 'You simply do not have the luxury of such affectations any longer' she told them. 'You must play to win by any cost because the penalty of losing will _always_ be greater.'

'And the vote to abandon morality for expediency is in' Giles responded. 'I can't say I'm too shocked' he added sardonically.

'You would talk of morality and ethics' Illyria retorted dismissively. 'How many lives is your comfortable veneer of subjective morality worth?' she asked, 'Thousands? Millions?' she asked rhetorically. 'If it is worth less than countless _billions_ of lives then it pales to insignificance by comparison' she stated. 'I know that you cannot truly comprehend such numbers with your limited intellect, that the very scale of the entire multiverse is beyond your true understanding and imagining, but I for one_ can_ visualise it and the notion of devastation at such a scale horrifies even _me_.'

'Stalin said that a single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic' Wesley observed. 'He had a point there you know, we really _aren't_ very good at scaling horror up to that kind of scale, eventually all the pain and suffering becomes a blur' he opined . 'That said I've got to go along with the notion that if we value ten people's lives more than one person's, then logically that continues right up the line.'

'I don't think anyone is going to argue with that Wesley' Giles responded.

'Oh I think they will Giles' Wesley replied. 'People _don't_ think logically on these issues' he said. 'Very well here's an example' he said addressing Buffy directly. 'You are standing next to a lever in a trolley track and you notice that a runaway trolley is about to hit a group of five people who are unaware of their danger. However, if you switch the track, the trolley will hit only one person. What do you do?' he asked her.

'Switch the track' Buffy said after a pause. 'It sucks for the one person but you've saved five.'

'Right' Wesley replied. 'That's what most people say' he told her. 'But here's another scenario. You are standing on a bridge over a trolley track beside a fat guy. Again you notice that the runaway trolley is headed toward five unaware people. You're not heavy enough to stop the trolley by sacrificing yourself and throwing yourself in the way, so do you push the fat person onto the track to stop it instead?'

Buffy blinked. 'No' she said almost immediately.

'It's still sacrificing one person to save five, you're just a tad more directly responsible this time' he said. 'Basically you've just valued your conscience as being more important than five peoples lives' he told her. 'Is that moral do you think?' he asked rhetorically.

'You'd push the fat person I suppose' Giles asked him evenly.

'Yes' Wesley replied flatly. 'It's the hard choice but that doesn't make it the wrong one.'

'Isn't this all academic?' Willow asked.

Wesley shook his head. 'Not at all' he replied. 'Illyria's position is that _not_ being willing to abandon your scruples is in fact the _im_moral, _un_ethical option in our situation' he said. 'As far as we are aware there isn't another parallel Earth out there in a better position than we are to fight against Jasmine and the First Evil, we've therefore been chosen by destiny, or perhaps random chance, to be humanities best hope for freedom and survival' he told them. 'Possibly the _only_ hope in fact' he added. 'The responsibility is awesome beyond comprehension, or non-deity comprehension at least' he continued, with a smile at Illyria, 'but like it or not it's _ours_, and if we falter, or procrastinate or lose perspective on just how overriding in importance victory is, then we are responsible for the suffering of innumerable human beings.'

Angel had been sitting, head down eyes directed at the conference table in contemplation. 'He's right' he announced, looking up. 'Defeat isn't an option, it's _got_ to be victory' he said. 'We can make it up to karma later because there isn't going to _be_ a later if we lose.'

'So you think that what we, I mean _they_ did in the other timeline was acceptable' Cordelia asked. 'Steal anything they thought they needed, conscript anybody they thought they could use?'

'It might not come to that' Buffy told her. 'We've got time to prepare.'

'And if it _does _come to that?' Cordelia snapped back.

Buffy looked up at the ceiling. 'If I'm lucky I'll be dead and someone else gets to make the call' she said quietly.

'If you are unwilling to accept the uncomfortable mantle of leadership and responsibility,' Illyria responded, 'I would be willing to take on the burden.'

'Very magnanimous of you' Buffy told her.

'That was sarcasm I assume' Illyria queried.

'And how' Buffy replied. 'Can someone pass me a glass of water?' she asked.

Spike poured her a glass from the jug on the table and pushed it down towards her, he just happened to be the closest. 'This is too big for us' he opined. 'This is all too big for _anybody_.'

'Speak for yourself Half-Breed' Illyria responded, 'although I must admit that this is a challenge worthy of even myself' she declared.

'She's enjoying this' Cordelia interjected, 'she is, she's loving every moment of it because she reckons we'll have no choice but to do things her way.'

Illyria crossed her arms in front of her. 'Might I suggest in compremise you see where you get doing things half-heartedly for five years and when you fail miserably you agree to my own plan of action at that time?' she suggested. 'Any delay beyond that would be criminally negligent.'

'That would still give us more than five years after that to get a decent sized army raised of slayers from other worlds right, before Jasmines forces start to really get into gear I mean?' Fred asked. 'We'd still be in a far better position to fight them numbers wise than they were in Enyo's timeline, plus we'd be better armed.'

'So we spend the first five years trying to find a better way and then if we don't we mobilise for war' Buffy said.

'Realistically it would take us at least a few years to get to the stage where we could think about doing it anyway' Wesley opined. 'We don't have the logistical infrastructure in place to arm, train and equip a large force, nor the command and control apparatus.'

'You were playing General on Pylea too long' Cordelia told him, rolling her eyes.

Wesley chuckled. 'My father never got me the box of toy soldiers I always wanted when I was a little boy' he replied. 'Seriously though, we _do_ have the groundwork in place which should meet our initial needs in terms of scouting and establishing a cadre of slayer officers and NCO's in the event we have to drastically expand our numbers into a military machine at some point.'

Illyria nodded. 'The previously agreed plan to develop our own armaments and munitions production can also be extended to allow a large increase in output when required' she said. 'We could simply have more plant and machinery than required and run it at a less than optimal rate' she said. 'When needed simply ramp up production to wartime levels' she said. 'It would also be an idea to stockpile a certain percentage of output as a strategic reserve.'

'Plan for the worst, hope for the best' Spike said, 'sounds good to me.'

Illyria turned to Buffy. 'Despite your reservations regarding Dawn, Enyo is correct that the so-called Pathfinder project is our best hope in terms of both finding a non-military solution, and winning the military one' she said. 'Locating possible allies and weapons, and perhaps finding the enemy and launching a pre-emptive strike before they can make their own move is of vital import' she said. 'Dawn's ability to traverse dimensions more easily than even myself gives our forces a huge advantage' she told her. 'I note you did not invite her to this gathering' she said. 'You treat her as a child though she is older than you were when called as a slayer.'

Buffy fixed Illyria with a cold stare. 'Not your business Illyria' she told the Old One.

'On the contrary' Illyria replied. 'Dawn's role as the Key makes her _everyone's_ business' she declared. 'You think you are being protective of her, trying to fill the role of your mother I would surmise, but if either Jasmine of the First is triumphant they will see her as nothing but a tool as best' she told her. 'Her own fate, as well as our own, is dependent upon her taking on the role that destiny has placed upon her.'

'She'll get herself killed' Buffy stated.

'Your lack of faith in one made from yourself in part is disappointing' Illyria replied. 'I have found Dawn to be intelligent, resourceful and of strong will' she said. 'Her only negative traits are simply down to an occasional illogical desire to be "normal", and an insecurity regarding her role and place in both society and this organisation.'

'Is there anything, or anyone you _don't_ have an opinion on?' Buffy asked her with more than a hint of anger in her voice.

'Use of the word "opinion" would leave the impression I might be wrong' Illyria replied evenly.

'And like you've_ never_ made an error?' Cordelia asked sarcastically.

Illyria smirked. 'On occasion I have been unaware of all the factors which led me to a false conclusion, in circumstances when I _have_ been fully cognisant of the facts no.'

'Well that's a get-out clause for _anything_' Faith declared, rolling her eyes.

'Which does not make it untrue' Illyria told her smugly.

'I'd kill for that kind of self confidence' Willow observed. 'And I'd bet a million bucks she _has_' she added, throwing a disparaging look in Illyria's direction, the God-King merely smiling knowingly in response.

'Dawn approaches her eighteenth year' Illyria told Buffy, 'at least in theory, and according to her legal documentation, surely as an adult it is her choice?'

Buffy narrowed her eyes. 'That would be easier to accept if I didn't expect certain people to talk her into things' she retorted.

'I don't need to do that, she is perfectly capable of reaching the right conclusion on her own' Illyria countered. 'In that I appear to be the party most willing to let Dawn decide for herself' she said. In which light I also suggest that you present the facts to the entire Slayer and remaining Watcher community and hold a referendum on how to proceed rather than taking it on either yourself, or this small conclave, to decide the future of your species.'

Giles had been taking a sip of water and nearly drowned before coughing violently. '_You're_ suggesting directdemocracy?' he choked out.

'Such a decision deserves a better mandate than merely the opinion of the longest serving slayer and her peers' Illyria told him. 'I will endorse the five-year delay in full mobilisation but wish a binding resolution that further delays will not follow because Buffy changes her mind when the deadline approaches' she stated. 'Think of it as a guard against the tyranny of the ruling classes' she told the group. 'The new slayers do not have your ideological baggage and would I hope put loyalty to their race above loyalty to their figurehead.'

'Figurehead?!' Buffy growled.

'You were not elected, you are no longer unique but merely one of thousands' Illyria told her. 'Your leadership status is based on tradition rather than proven aptitude' she continued. 'Do you perceive yourself as mandated from heaven to rule perhaps?' she asked rhetorically. 'Divine Right of Kings?' she queried with amusement. 'You are in charge merely because it is accepted by the others that you are' the Old One noted, 'do not assume this will always be the case.'

'Somebody fetch my scythe' Buffy responded flatly, 'I think I might need to put down a coup' she said only half in jest.

'I could not lead such a coup' Illyria told her, 'I am not a slayer and people would doubt my motives' she continued, 'however if you _were_ to decide to ignore the wishes of the majority of your people I doubt that no others would stand against you' she cautioned. 'Hence my call for a referendum' she said. 'It will keep you from holding the rest of us in thrall to your subjective morality.'

Buffy ground her teeth. 'And if I decided I didn't want to allow this vote?' she growled.

Illyria smiled. 'You lack the necessary character traits to make a good tyrant' she told Buffy. 'And in any case you would likely split your organisation asunder.'

'The girls would never wear it if it got out you blocked them taking a vote B' Faith counselled, then paused. 'I'd have a problem with that myself' she added apologetically.

Buffy looked to the sky, or rather the ceiling. 'Oh this is great' she said sardonically, 'I've got the biggest fascist I know using democracy against me now' she moaned.

'You might wish to consider an elected council or parliament also, to act as a legislature to the executive this group seems to represent' Illyria suggested. 'It would add more legitimacy to proceedings.'

'There's something very wrong with _this_ picture' Gunn declared. 'Since when did _her_ politics shift to the left of Attila the Hun?' he asked, pointing at Illyria.

'Since they became in her interests to be' Angel replied flatly.

'Of course' Illyria admitted without hesitation.

'And this is why I don't like the_ smart_ Hellgods' Buffy complained wistfully.

'Be grateful I did not find my army intact in Vahla ha'nesh' Illyria told her imperiously. 'You would have all been under my boot, or under the ground in six months.'

'So what if we find a dimension where that _did_ happen?' Fred asked, 'because it's almost inevitable given enough time.'

'Pray to the deity of your choice that I can defeat my alternate self and co-opt their army to my control or else kiss your pink asses goodbye' Illyria replied. 'My alternate self would have adopted human weapon and tactics immediately after encountering them' she said. 'Better adaptation than defeat' she continued, 'and I am _very_ good at war' she stated without a trace of bravado or bluster, it was the simple truth.

Buffy closed her eyes and offered a silent prayer to a rather less militaristic deity. She really hoped she was never going to have to let Illyria prove that.

* * *

**_Note from the Author:_**

_Sorry the chapter is being posted a day or two later than normal. _


	4. Chapter 4

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**Hyperion Hotel – Los Angeles – July 2004**

Standing in front of the mirror in his room Connor slid the large hunting knife from inside his jacket, the leather sheath secured under his arm helping conceal the weapon. It had a nice balance though was far heavier than it looked and despite his strength maybe not quite as good as his old knife for that reason, and it lacked the other blades vicious partially serrated edge so it also lacked some of the intimidation factor, but it nevertheless compensated for those deficiencies very nicely.

'I thought you weren't a fan of magic' Dawn asked him with a smile. His door had been slightly ajar and he never seemed to be annoyed at her turning up anyway, especially when she was wearing one of the short skirts he really seemed to like her in. She closed the door properly behind her and watched him move, he moved very well, fluidly like Buffy or one of the other slayers when they trained or fought.

'I'm not a fan of Taser's either but I still carry one' Connor replied, smiling back as he outstretched his arm and concentrating hard mouthed the words he had spent the last day memorising, albeit phonetically in English because he couldn't speak the Nepal Bhasa language or read Devanāgarī script for that matter.

After finishing the incantation Connor felt a strange sensation in his forearm, wrist and the hand holding the knife like it was being drained, which in fact it was. Some of the demonic energy that made him inhumanly strong and fast was being redirected to another purpose. Lindsey McDonald had learned how to do this, his "evil hand" issues proving a positive in one way, and now Connor had an enchanted weapon of his own that could draw upon this power and be warped and changed by it.

'Cool' Dawn exclaimed as the knife's eight inch blade began to morph, changing shape and extending into a thirty-two inch short-sword as if the metal was flowing like mercury whilst somehow still remaining solid.

Connor grinned and bringing the blade up near his ear he flicked the metal with the fingers on his free hand eliciting a satisfying ding that sounded like the finest steel. It still weighed the same as it had as a knife, the metal exchanging density for volume. 'Stephen is never going to look at his collapsible sword the same way again when I show him this' he declared happily.

'You just _have_ to compete with each other don't you' Dawn asked rhetorically, well of course they did they were the only two guys in the organisation the same age. 'Is that easy to do?' she asked curiously changing the subject, stepping close to examine the blade which he had held up to show her.

'I'm getting better at it but it makes me tired' Connor told her, slowly bringing the sword closer and closer to himself causing Dawn to have to get closer herself. Once she was in striking distance he demonstrated his speed by giving her a snappy kiss on the lips before she realised what he was up to.

'Hey! Sneak' Dawn told him. 'And you could have just asked' she added coyly.

'More of a doer than a talker' Connor told her with a smile, looking into her eyes. 'So is it too late to ask?' he inquired.

'Try me' Dawn told him.

'I'll just get rid of this' Connor told her, holding the sword off to the side and saying the other incantation he had memorised. This time as the sword morphed back into a knife he felt some of the power he had placed into the metal returning, though not all of it, there was always a loss somewhere, the laws of thermodynamics generally applied to magic too. He put the knife down on a shelf next to the trophies he had bought back from the Quar-Toth, the teeth and small bones looking somewhat incongruous since the other item on the shelf was his new iPod mini.

'Trouble keeping it up?' Dawn couldn't resist saying, causing Connor to blush for a second before grinning. 'Maybe I could get my hands on some mystical Viagra too' she continued, holding up a small cut glass vial full of some kind of liquid.

'What's that?' Connor asked looking at it suspiciously.

Dawn sat down on the edge of Connors bed, crossed her legs and beckoned him to sit down next to her which he did with alacrity. 'I know you've wanted to go... further' Dawn told him as she leaned up against him, trying to keep her voice from shaking because she was very nervous.

Connor started. 'I never said that' he said quickly. 'I mean, I never wanted to put pressure on you' he told her. 'I didn't did I?' he asked nervously.

'No don't be silly Connor' Dawn told him, then paused. 'I've wanted to go further too.'

'Yeah?' Connor asked, nervousness replaced instantly by a considerable degree of enthusiasm.

'You're not entirely uncute' Dawn told him with a grin, putting her hand on his thigh. 'The thing is I've been scared' she told him.

'I'd never hurt you' Connor responded in a flash. 'Never' he added for emphasis.

Dawn leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. 'Connor I have to tell you to squeeze harder when we cuddle and make-out' she reminded him. 'I know that you wouldn't hurt me' she said. 'It's who we are that makes me nervous' she explained.

'Oh right' Connor replied. 'There's always that in the way' he agreed.

'Getting knocked up at my age is bad enough already but the last girl you got pregnant ended up carrying a god of the world-conquering kind' Dawn told him flatly. 'And Illyria made this crack about me ending up in "big trouble" after I lost my virginity in the timeline she came from' she continued. 'Then she started laughing and wouldn't give me any specifics.'

'Faith says she deliberately doesn't tell us things because she thinks it's funny' Connor observed.

Dawn nodded her agreement. 'Yes but sometimes she does tell us things we need to know' she said, holding up the vial again. 'Like about this' she announced.

'So what is it?' Connor asked again.

Dawn looked away. 'Okay the story the Lord of the Smurf's told me is that when Cordelia and Groo were an item they had a problem because if they slept together Cordelia would lose the sight, I mean Groo would be the one that got visions after that according to the prophecy.'

'There's _always_ a prophecy' Connor said sadly.

'True but we also know we can screw destiny' Dawn replied. 'Even a destiny about screwing' she joked, proud she sounded so much more fluent and clear-headed that she felt. 'So...' she said, taking a deep breath, 'so Cordelia found out about a potion that stopped any kind of supernatural side-effects of having sex' she told him.

Connor blinked and looked at the vial. 'And so... um' he said.

'Yes' Dawn told him. 'This is the stuff, it's made by a woman called Anita, I ordered it through the mail, paid by credit card and she FedExed it over' she continued. 'When she found out the address she gave me a discount.'

'Oh' Connor said looking at the floor. He liked where this conversation seemed to be heading but he was trying to keep himself collected.

Dawn took her hand off his thigh and took one of his hands instead. 'I love you Connor' she told him. 'I want to be with you... properly I mean, and if you want to be with me we can now' she told him, her voice only trembling slightly.

'I love you too Dawn' Connor replied looking up and meaning what he said, it was less confusing than it had been with Cordelia and a whole lot more real too, 'but we don't have to rush things' he added. 'Unless that stuff has a best-before date' he queried, trying not to sound too hopeful that it did.

'I don't feel rushed Connor' Dawn told him, 'I feel loved and I feel safe' she said. 'Maybe a little bit horny' she added after a pause.

Connor couldn't help but laugh. 'Welcome to my world 24/7' he told her. 'Sometimes I wish I had a girlfriend who wasn't so damn hot.'

'I could wear longer skirts' Dawn offered deadpan.

Connor grimaced. 'Please don't' he told her.

Dawn placed the vial down gently out of the way and shifted position to sit herself sideways on Connors lap, torso twisted so she was facing him. 'So don't need the Viagra then' she told him after getting comfortable and in the process making Connor more than slightly _un_comfortable himself. She felt so mature and in control, she knew she was going to have to make the running here, Connor sometimes treated her like she was the most fragile thing in the world. 'If you want to we can drive up the coast for the weekend, make it special' she suggested.

'I want it to be special' Connor agreed. 'Um is that all of that stuff you've got?' he asked.

'No and that amount is good for forty-eight hours' Dawn told him.

Connor smiled, that was good. 'What are you going to tell Buffy?' he asked.

'To mind her own business' Dawn replied, then paused. 'If she comes after you with a scythe you _can_ outrun her right?' she asked with a grin.

'Depends how tired I can get in forty-eight hours' Connor told her, his eyes twinkling.

'It's a good thing you've got super-human endurance' Dawn told him, leaning in for a deep kiss, arms around his neck.

Dawn hoped she'd be good for him, she wanted to be. For his part, being a guy Connor was mainly just thinking "woohoo!" but that didn't mean he didn't care too, he was just suffering from an incurable case of man.

**Warehouse District - ****Cleveland – July 2004**

'Slayer gene?' Kennedy repeated, looking at Willow. 'There's a slayer gene?' she queried as she leaned back in the couch, the Witch sitting across from her holding the file she had teleported in with. Most of the girls were elsewhere only Shannon as Kennedy's second in command and Stephen making tea in the kitchen left in the apartment.

Willow nodded. 'According to the data we got from future girl' she replied. 'The gene causes certain physiological changes as you develop but more importantly it provides a certain mystical susceptibility to being activated' she told them, 'and it also explains why potentials were so rare, less than one in every two million girls worldwide' she continued. 'The particular section of DNA concerned has to be carried by_ both_ parents to produce a genuine potential and it's so scarce in the genepool to start with the probability of _that_ happening by random chance is extremely low' she explained. 'It's like one of those rare genetic diseases you hear about, if you'll excuse the comparison' she told her girlfriend with an impish grin. 'Add in the fact that only female offspring can be potentials, cutting the success rate in half once again, and we've basically figured out why the Councils attempts to breed more failed so miserably.'

'Breeding potentials?' Shannon queried.

'They tried for quite a while' Stephen told her, returning with two mugs, tea for himself and a coffee for Kennedy, nobody else had wanted a drink. 'Centuries at least' he told her. 'I imagine they got the notion from the selective breeding of farm animals.'

'Oh, _charming_' Kennedy responded sardonically.

'You people were seen as a resource' Stephen told her. 'Not actually _people_ as such' he reminded her. 'You might think the Council was bad in the last century or so but they used to be far _far_ worse' he continued. 'I've read the histories, it's pretty sick in places especially the early version of the Cruciamentum.'

'Hey you're still not too great now' Kennedy told him, 'you left out the sugar' she noted with distaste after taking a sip from her mug.

'I would say you were sweet enough already but that would be an outright lie' Stephen retorted. 'We're out of sugar it was that or artificial sweetener and you hate the stuff' he said. 'There was only half a spoonful left in the jar and that's in my tea' he told her smugly raising his own beverage to his lips.

'So much for chivalry' Kennedy sighed.

'You ladies wanted equality didn't you?' Stephen asked with a chuckle. 'So why the visit just to tell us that?' he asked Willow. 'You could have sent an email.'

Willow pursed her lips. 'I think you're missing the operative phrase here' she replied. 'Carried by_ both_ parents' she noted. 'Men can't be slayers but they can still carry the gene and pass it on' she told him. 'I've already talked to Robin Wood, he was in South Africa flying out the latest batch of slayers he's tracked down and told him he was a carrier of the gene because of his mother.'

'Oh crap!' Stephen swore as he realised where this was going.

'I knew you'd get there eventually' Willow responded with a grin. 'Okay for those that don't know his lineage Stephen's grandfather was one John Travers who married another Watcher named Arianna de la Croix and together they produced Quentin Travers, Stephen's Dad.'

'So?' Kennedy asked, still none the wiser.

'So guess what my grandmother was before she was considered too old to be called anymore and switched jobs' Stephen answered.

'Son of a bitch' Kennedy exclaimed. 'You're part slayer, or potential anyway' she declared. 'I _knew_ you couldn't be that good with a sword and be all human' she said.

'I might carry the gene but it doesn't have any effect on men' Stephen replied evenly. 'It's known potentials sometimes get a few mildly enhanced innate abilities but they're girls.'

'Nope' Willow responded shaking her head. 'The research we got from Enyo shows that male carriers _do_ sometimes get little quirks too, they're just not as readily obvious because they're entirely random and don't give superpowers or anything, they just give male carriers of the gene certain attributes that would put them at the top of the curve in something' she told him. 'Robin is in unusually good physical shape even allowing for the exercise and training, like Kennedy said you really _are_ freakishly good with a sword and Wesley's hand-eye coordination is right at the top of the human scale' she said.

'Wesley?' Kennedy asked.

'He's a carrier too which is why Rebecca, his daughter with Faith, is a slayer' Willow replied. 'It's not too surprising I suppose, the older Watcher families likely all had instances of one of their number getting hitched up to uncalled potentials at some point.'

'The Wyndham and Pryce families go back even further than the Travers in the histories' Stephen noted. 'And _I_ had an ancestor who was Head of the Council when the First Queen Elizabeth came to the throne in 1558 so my family was already well established that far back' he told them.

Willow smiled. 'Illyria is of the opinion we should immediately begin a slayer breeding program' she announced. 'You should have seen the expression on Wesley's face when she told him.'

'Sounds like a bloody great idea' Stephen replied instantly. 'What?' he asked Kennedy holding back laughter as she glared at him. 'It wouldn't be a basic betrayal of Watcher ethics like Wesley screwing Faith' he said. 'I'd _promise_ not to enjoy it honest' he continued. 'Just draw up a schedule and I'll... stop talking now because I don't want that coffee thrown at me' he said, looking warily at the expression on Kennedy's face.

'I think Illyria meant artificial insemination' Willow told him.

'Okay then, sod that' Stephen replied flatly.

'You are such a man' Kennedy told him.

'All the super-powered oestrogen in here hasn't got to me yet' Stephen declared. 'But you could have still emailed this information, or just told me on the phone' he told Willow.

'Not when I'm after a blood sample' Willow replied apologetically. 'Fred wants to take a look at your DNA' she told him. 'I've got a syringe' she added.

Stephen groaned and began to roll up his sleeve as Willow reached into her pocket and produced a very large hypodermic needle.

**Underground Parking Garage – Los Angeles – July 2004**

Wesley looked around again, the place was almost completely deserted and quiet as a tomb, which is to say it was in fact a great deal quieter than the vast majority of tombs he'd been in. 'So where's Deep Throat at?' he asked wryly as he leaned back against the side of one of the teams Range Rovers. His own XKR Sports Car could seat four but the back seats were less than spacious.

'Christ Wes I can't believe you said that' Faith responded in mild surprise, indicating the presence of their "daughter" stood by a concrete pillar nearby talking quietly to Illyria. Faith herself herself was half perched up on the hood of the SUV, she looked very alluring to his mind like one of those models at a Car Show, for his part Wesley just looked untidy.

Wesley was confused for a second by Faith's response then it dawned on him what she was going on about. 'I meant as in Woodward and Bernstein's secret informant, not the 1970's porno film' he told her. 'They used to meet in an underground carpark at night.'

Now it was Faith's turn to look confused. 'Woodward and who?' she asked. 'What are you talking about?'

'Watergate, you know as in Nixon' Wesley explained. 'Woodward and Bernstein were the journalists who investigated the story, they called their source "Deep Throat" as an alias' he told her then frowned. 'You've never seen the film they made of the book _All the President's Men_?' he asked. 'It had Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman in it.'

Faith shrugged. 'I've seen _Deep Throat_' she told him.

'Next time it's my time to choose a DVD to watch it'll be the one on Watergate' Wesley told her, then leaned in to whisper in her ear. 'Maybe the other film too' he added hoping it would give her ideas.

'Great hearing over here Dad' Enyo announced, 'and I didn't need to hear _that_' she added. There were images of your parents doing stuff you just didn't want in your head.

Wesley coughed. 'And so thirty years later we still don't know who Deep Throat really was' he told Faith, trying not to blush.

'William Mark Felt, Senior' Illyria announced. 'It becomes public knowledge next year' she told them.

'Really?' Wesley responded. 'Who?' he queried.

Faith pursed her lips. 'Think we could put a bet on that with a bookie?' she asked thoughtfully.

'Worth putting a few thousand dollars on it' Wesley agreed. 'Got to put the eavesdropper there through college right?' he joked.

'I think it's okay to get Father here now' Enyo declared, the four of them had been waiting until the garage emptied. 'And I've got plenty of time to go to college' she told Wesley, 'I might take a few centuries out from education to decide on my Major' she deadpanned.

'Well don't think I'm keeping you all that time, for a start I'll be too dead' Wesley told her. 'Get a job.'

'I'll mooch off Mother once you're gone' Enyo replied with a smile.

'You will earn your keep' Illyria stated flatly, reaching out to push a lock of Enyo's hair out of her face in a surprisingly affectionate gesture though an act that Wesley and Faith were starting to get used to seeing. Apparently Old One's groomed, though Illyria complained that multiple tentacles made the process far easier because you could do so and still undertake other tasks. Many demon species seemed to care both for their own young and other clan members and apparently Illyria's was one of them, it made good evolutionary sense to look after your offspring be that babies, cubs or hellspawn but nonetheless everyone back at the hotel had been more than a little taken aback at the way the God-King had begun acting towards Enyo, it seemed downright maternal. Wesley theorised it was because her senses went far beyond mere humans and the red-haired blue-eyed girl screamed kinship to Illyria at several levels. It was much more difficult for Wesley and Faith, they couldn't simply _know_ deep down in their subconscious Rebecca was theirs, it was something they had to adjust to.

'So you're sure he'll just arrive?' Faith asked, addressing the girl.

Enyo nodded. 'I've been stopping him seeing me, jamming any visions that might reveal my presence but as soon as I stop doing that it'll hit him hard' she said. 'He'll probably freak' she continued. 'Not just because of the daughter-from-the-future thing but because time-travel the way Mother and I did it shouldn't be possible.'

'It shouldn't?' Wesley asked.

Enyo nodded. 'You wouldn't know this but the Powers-That-Be and the Wolf, Ram and Hart did a deal to jointly prevent anyone doing the time-travelling portal trick again because they both considered the changes that Mother wrought too big a threat to causality and worried either she'd do it again or someone else would' she told them. 'That's one of the reasons I did my time jumps in Vahla ha'nesh' she said, 'they can't interfere there.'

'I am surprised they have the power required' Illyria responded doubtfully.

'It's more like they interfere with temporal portal stability than jam them outright' Enyo told her. 'It increases the power required and you wouldn't know when or where you were going to end up.'

Illyria frowned. 'Even I would be reluctant to attempt a portal in such a situation' she said. As soon as she attempted a temporal portal she would sense the problem and stop at that point. Stability was all-important when ripping a tear in the fabric of reality, it was a inherently dangerous enough act already without adding any more uncertainty into the mix.

'Yup that's what they thought, and let's be honest Mother you're a lot more wilful and determined than... well just about anyone else' Enyo replied. 'Most people who can do it wouldn't, they'd argue they've got too much respect for space-time continuum.'

Illyria sneered. 'Craven cowards' she declared deridingly.

'It's amazing what a bunch of pussies most Higher-Powers actually are' Enyo agreed wholeheartedly. Oddly of her four parents the one that was most conservative when it came to the idea of playing by the rules was probably the one that was still absent, berith might have been evil, self-serving and kinda an asshole by most terms of reference but he wasn't anywhere near as crazed as Faith, Wesley or Illyria. 'Okay heads-up I'm sending out the invitation to the family reunion' she said holding out her hand.

'So how long?' Faith asked jumping off the hood of the Range Rover and fetching her scythe from where it was resting on the back seat.

'Won't be long' Enyo replied.

'What if he turns nasty?' Wesley asked.

'Mother and I are more than a match for him between us' Enyo replied, 'and Mom's got her scythe' she noted. '_You_ might want to stay clear though' she added.

'Only human' Wesley responded with a shrug.

'Nobody's perfect Dad' Enyo replied with a smile.

A blinding flash of light momentarily lit up the dimly lit garage, a red-haired figure appearing less than ten yards away wearing a very nicely tailored business suit and a stunned expression. Berith looked directly at Enyo mouth agape and then raised an arm pointing at her while redirecting his gaze at Illyria. Berith was highly intelligent, had been considered a gifted speaker among his peers but despite this 'What--the--_fuck_?!' was all he could manage to say, damn shell he thought.

Wesley smirked at him. 'Welcome to Planet Dad' he told the Lord of the Covenant, and that bloke was definitely going to be chipping in on the college fund he decided, he _had_ to be pulling in a decent wage right?

**Hyperion Hotel – Los Angeles – July 2004**

Medousa was appalled. 'It is bad enough that you allow that... _abomination_ to live' she declared, referring to the absent Enyo, 'but what you are suggesting is appalling and goes against the very core of who you are and what slayers should be' she insisted.

'So that's a clear no vote on the research' Buffy responded, looking around the dining room, it was an open forum and almost everyone was present, the Hotel's entire Slayer contingent sat around listening with interest. 'Anyone else got an opinion?' she asked. Better get used to this democracy idea she thought, it was bound to catch on.

Giles breathed out. 'It flies in the face of everything we've ever… of what every generation has done in the fight against evil. I think it's bloody brilliant' he declared.

'You _would_ Shadow-Man' Medousa snapped back.

'You could argue we _have_ been freeloading a long time' Giles added unable to resist giving the Guardian a grin.

Fred crossed her arms. 'I can't say it would even _work_' she reminded everyone. 'They never had the opportunity to do more than rudimentary investigations into the possibility in Enyo's time, other more important uses of their R&D resources always took priority' she noted. 'And the gene therapy needed to decrease the suppression of mystical activation by the XY chromosome will take years to develop even if it's possible' she continued. 'I just thought that given the nature of the research it really needed to be agreed before we looked into it any further.'

Buffy nodded. 'Well if the research _does_ pan out we'll put it to a referendum before proceeding further' she said. 'Giles is right it _is_ pretty radical but if it works we can potentially double our available forces' she pointed out and they were likely to need them to counter the oncoming storm.

Amanda raised her hand and Buffy indicated she had the floor. 'So if we think we might be able to make _boy_ slayers can we only activate the cute ones?' she requested tongue-in-cheek.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_The Travers family tree is borrowed from the Spike/Drusilla centred book **Pretty Maids all in a Row**_.

_This fanfic runs on reviews._


	5. Chapter 5

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**Slayer Headquarters – Shadow Valley – August 2004**

Xander was looking pleased with himself meeting Buffy and Willow as they climbed out of the car and took turns giving him a hug. The project was running ahead of time and under budget the latter having earned him bonus points with Anya redeemable in currency which beat the hell out of Dollars. 'Main building is finished' he announced to the group, 'the accommodation blocks will be ready within a month and the landscaping and the sports centre we estimate six weeks after that' he told them.

Buffy looked at the facade of the building, it was identical to the old Sunnydale High school which had ended up in the sinkhole only a few miles away. This wasn't surprising, they had used the same architect since Xander knew and trusted the guy and besides which, like the choice of location itself, Shadow Valley being where Caleb and the First Evil had made their own bases of operations, it was a symbol of victory, a twin to the place where they had fought and bested a horde of Harbingers and Turok'Han. Buffy liked to think of it as giving the First Evil the finger with a smug grin on her face. 'What about the bunker complex?' she asked.

'All of the old wine cellars and tunnels are shored up with steel reinforced concrete' Xander replied. 'The additional sections are dug out and the underground laboratories, firing ranges and the workshop are ready to be fitted out' he continued then smiled. 'All capable of being sealed airtight and with redundant backup generators for the air-recycling systems' he said. 'Main command centre is basically a big armoured steel box in the main cavern up on heavy springs to ride out the shock of a nuclear surface burst, got the idea from Cheyenne Mountain.'

'Cool' Buffy responded. 'Does it look like the secret lair of a Bond villain?'

'Couldn't manage the hollowed out volcano surrounded by liquid hot magma on our budget but the minions are on order' Xander told her deadpan. 'We're filling the moat next week and I need you to decide if it's the piranhas or the sharks?'

'With or without Fricking Laser Beams?' Willow asked.

'Optional extra, costs more' Xander replied.

'We'll go with the piranhas' Buffy told him. They really were digging a moat, it surrounded the buildings and separated them from the surrounding fields but in reality the only fish in there were going to be Koi Carp.

'You're the boss' Xander responded playing along. 'I put the trap door in front of your desk you wanted Mistress' he said wringing his hands, bending slightly forward and adopting the mannerisms and hunchback of a minion from a 1930's horror film.

'Excellent' Buffy replied in the manner of Mr Burns, meshing her fingers. She was glad she had only invited Willow along for the visit, just having the three of them there was nice, they could clown without having to worry about looking professional and dignified in front of the "lower ranks". 'So where's Anya?' she asked.

Xander chuckled. 'She's keeping an eye on the military guys digging up the hellmouth sinkhole' he told them. 'She'll be back for lunch, she likes to watch them through binoculars sometimes she takes photographs, drives them crazy, they're trying to be low-key and inconspicuous.'

'Are they _still_ doing that?' Willow asked incredulously. Xander had first told them about the arrival of the US Government months ago.

'I'll give them kudos for determination' Xander responded. 'I sent one of the construction crew over with a couple of cases of cold beer for them three weeks back because it was a hot day.'

'That was nice of you' Buffy told him.

'No it was cruel' Xander admitted. 'I knew their officer wouldn't let them have any, my guy just dropped it off with a note saying they were wasting their time' he continued. 'They even dig at night' he said. 'Anya sometimes gets all dressed up in black with a balaclava and spies on them with night-vision gear, she says the government needs watching.'

'So are they watching us too?' Willow asked.

'They were but we kept spotting them just like back at the Hyperion' Xander replied. 'If I had to guess they've switched to satellite observation.'

Willow looked up and waved at the sky. 'No need to be unfriendly' she told Buffy who was rolling her eyes.

'How many guys have you on working here now?' Buffy asked, looking over at the unfinished buildings that were clad in scaffolding. It was a Saturday and since they weren't running behind schedule nobody was working overtime.

'I'm down to a hundred or so on the works crew' Xander replied. 'Most of the heavy construction is completed so most of them are fitting out interiors or putting in the wiring and plumbing' he explained. 'They're good workers, I'd like to pay them a bonus on completion but I need you to sign off on that.'

'You need me to overrule Anya you mean?' Buffy asked with a smile.

'Yeah that's pretty much it' Xander admitted. 'Hey you were the one that gave her control on the company purse strings' he reminded Buffy.

'She's good with money' Buffy replied. 'I couldn't balance a cheque book and accounting errors get pricy when you're talking hundreds of millions of dollars scattered around dozens of accounts.'

'Everyone in their proper place' Xander agreed. 'I've enjoyed putting this place up' he said. 'I was an okay demon-fighter but I'm a kick-ass construction foreman' he declared. 'Want to look around inside?' he asked.

'Lead on oh kick-ass foreman you' Buffy replied, herself and Willow following him towards the entrance.

'The walls are reinforced and the glass is bullet-proof' Xander told them as they made their way inside. 'We've got steel blinds that roll down over the windows too that will turn anything short of an anti-tank round, or one of Willow's best fireballs' he continued. 'All doors and windows can be electronically slammed shut and locked by remote control, flick one switch in your office and the whole place locks down tight like a fortress.'

'Is the switch next to the one that triggers the trapdoor?' Buffy asked, 'are they labelled?' she queried with a grin as they walked inside. 'I'd hate to accidentally close the doors when I was trying to drop somebody into the pit of doom' she said.

'Colour-coded' Xander replied deadpan. 'Your office is next to Robin Wood's' he told her.

'Mine's bigger right?' Buffy asked.

'Oh yeah' Xander told her. 'Your penthouse apartment at the top of the first accommodation block over there has a slightly better view than the one we're giving him too, you overlook the sports ground and the vineyards over there' he told her. The blocks were each ten stories high commanded great views of the valley.

'Damn straight' Buffy responded. It had long ago been decided that as the only one with experience running a school Robin would get the job of running the academy if he wanted but she was still the capo di tutti cappi, boss of bosses, slayer number one.

'There's three blocks, I don't know if you had anyone in mind for the third penthouse? Giles maybe?' Xander asked.

'We'll see' Buffy replied. She was willing to bet there was going to be arguments about that.

'So are we really going to make wine?' Willow asked as they walked through the empty lobby.

'Good soil for it and things grow nicely now the last traces of Bringer presence had completely faded' Xander replied, the aura of those wretched creatures was worse for plant life than chemical defoliants. 'We're hiring in people to run that side of it for us' he said. 'Anya said it'll make a profit and it does give us an excuse to own all the surrounding land, keep people well away.'

'As soon as we can house them I want to start moving girls here' Buffy stated. 'We've imposed on Angel too long.'

'And besides which it gets them away from Illyria' Xander added knowingly. 'I talk to Willow on the telephone often enough to know the story.'

'She's a bad influence' Buffy declared. 'Sometimes she makes too much sense for comfort too, you find yourself agreeing with things you shouldn't.'

Willow nodded. 'It would be easy if she was evil, she's just more... amoral than anything else and sometimes she's endearing like Anya can be.'

'Dawn likes her' Buffy said with some annoyance.

'She treats Dawn like an adult and makes her feel important' Willow observed.

'And I don't?' Buffy asked coldly.

'Xander you want to field this one?' Willow asked quickly.

Xander groaned, thanks Will he thought. 'Sometimes you're... over protective' Xander told Buffy. 'She hates that.'

'She's my little sister' Buffy pointed out.

'Right' Xander agreed, 'your _sister_ not your _daughter_' he noted. 'All the classrooms and lecture halls are state-of-the-art with computers up the ying-yang' he said changing the subject, pushing open a door and showing them one of the rooms. 'There's two libraries, one with plenty of room for dusty old books and the other's all terminals, connected to the mainframe in the basement' he said. 'The canteen and the kitchen are equally bitchin' he told them.

'Got a bar?' Buffy asked. 'For slayers and staff over Twenty-One I mean' she added.

'Oh yeah' Xander replied with a grin. 'Jukebox and everything' he told her. 'Sports Hall is designed to double as a club with an awesome sound system because it's a long way to the next town too.'

'Going to call it The Bronze?' Willow joked.

'Hey this is the _Gold_ standard now Will' Xander replied with a wink. 'One more thing I should ask before I forget and Anya will kick my ass if I don't say it' he said. 'I'm hoping I can build a little place for myself on the edge of the estate, I mean I'll be actually building it myself from scratch in my spare time, but I'd like to own the land myself' he said.

'I'll sign it over' Buffy told him. 'It's yours' she said.

Xander smiled. 'We'll pay fair market price' he told her. 'You're paying us more than enough to cover it and hard working Xander don't mooch.'

'We?' Willow queried.

Xander nodded. 'Me and Anya, as in together' he said. 'We've been an item again a while now and we think getting a place together, one that's _not_ a trailer home next to a construction site I mean, is the next step.'

'She'll make you work every free second to get it finished' Willow told him.

'Not _every_ free second' Xander replied with a grin. Then he looked serious, 'I'm thinking of proposing' he confided.

Buffy raised her eyebrows then pointed a finger at him. 'Leave her at the altar again and not only would I let her kill you I'd hold you down to make it easier' she said.

Willow nodded. 'I'm your friend so I'd make sure the knife she used was sharp enough not to hurt too much' she told him.

'I've grown up, I'm ready now' Xander told them. 'The only thing I'm nervous about is if she says no.'

'Not sure about "no" but expect reservation and suspicion' Buffy advised. 'As for me I hope you'll be happy together' she said.

'Right' Xander responded with a smile. 'So did you check what happened to me where our latest time-traveller came from?' he asked curiously.

'You did marry Anya, you had children' Willow told him brightly. 'I checked _everyone_ out' she said. 'It was fun.'

'I ended up a single Mom' Buffy told him with a sigh, definitely following in her mothers footsteps there by hooking up with a jerk. 'Will made an honest woman of Kennedy, Giles got married to that restaurant manager he's been seeing then divorced a couple of years later' she continued, 'Cordelia ended up with Groo and they started a little royal dynasty together, you know Faith and Wesley got hitched already...'

'Gunn?' Xander asked. He liked Gunn, they'd had the ordinary human bonding thing going on amongst all the super-beings and magic users.

'Retired to normal life amazingly' Willow told him, 'ended up with Anne from the East Hills shelter.'

Xander smiled. 'Sweet' he said approvingly. 'She's a good person _and_she'shot' he opined. He had helped out renovating the shelter a few times and had got to know her a bit. 'Giles got hitched and divorced?' he asked. 'Warned him?'

'Yes' Buffy replied. 'He didn't want to know but we sort of let it slip when we knew he'd "accidentally" overhear' she said.

'Fred?' Xander asked.

'Married to her work' Willow replied. 'We're going to try and find something more cuddly for her.'

'Anyone but Knox' Buffy added.

'You can tell me the rest when Anya's with us' Xander said. 'She'll want to hear details.'

'Lots of people asked _not_ to be told' Willow said. 'I'm sworn to secrecy on a few of them.'

'Fair enough' Xander responded. 'So what's Illyria Junior like?' he asked.

'She's got a lot of her parents in her' Buffy answered. 'All four of them' she added.

Willow nodded. 'She's got better people skills than Illyria but there's definitely a Faithy cocky sassiness there...'

'Which isn't helped by the fact she can back it up' Buffy interrupted as the three of them continued to walk around the empty building. 'Can you imagine a slayer that can hit like Illyria?' she asked rhetorically, 'she's a good shot too supposedly, Daddy Wes taught her.'

'If she was better with teleporting, portalling and the magics she'd be unstoppable' Willow opined. 'It's only her lack of control that holds her back.'

'I'm just glad _something_ does' Buffy responded honestly. 'But I did like watching her break Glory's nose when they sparred' she said.

'Whacky fun' Willow agreed. 'Or fun watching hellgod's get whacked anyway' she added.

'Illyria, Glory and now Enyo' Buffy said. 'We're starting to get overpopulated with deities.'

Xander smiled. 'So what's the God Squad doing this weekend?' he asked.

'Trying to end a war' Buffy replied.

'Illyria said it makes her feel sick and dirty inside' Willow noted. 'Peace isn't her thing.'

'One of the attitiudes I'd like to not expose the girls to any more' Buffy said

**Castle of the Covenant – ****Pylea**** – August 2004**

The castle was still surrounded by a network of wooden scaffolding as part of the renovation efforts necessitated by the first military strike by the slayer forces on Pylea at the start of the year. Mortar fire crashing into the roof had smashed the interior of the castle to rubble and wooden splinters but the thick stone exterior walls were still intact and it was the symbolic seat of government so Narwek the puppet governor of Pylea had ordered the Castle to be returned to its former glory. It was also far stronger than before its walls and roof bolstered to resist another such attack and even a full scale assault by the slayers with their imported human weaponry would have now found taking the fortress by storm a fearsome task.

Small shrines that acted as loci for magical energy had been springing up all over Pylea the last few months, planted by the priesthood of the Covenant of Trombli who the forces of Narwek and the Wolf, Ram and Hart had restored to their rightful position of power in the land, these generated a mystical field that prevented anyone opening an inbound or outbound portal within a mile of them preventing the enemy from appearing in their midst. Several of these shrines ringed the castle and they were easily visible by the workers who were completing the repairs. They were nearly finished which was why so many of the craftsmen involved were overjoyed when the roof caved in again and ensured they would be kept in gainful employ for at least another six months.

This time it wasn't high-explosives dropping in from above that wrought the destruction, rather it was the effects of an almost indestructible object falling at terminal velocity from the portal that had opened seven thousand feet in the air right above the castle, beyond the limits of the field generated by the shrines. It was blond, average height for a human female, carrying an oversized backpack with the best part of a half ton of lead ballast inside and it was _monumentally_ pissed off at being used as a so-called "Bunker Buster".

Hitting the now heavily reinforced castle roof at well over two hundred and fifty miles an hour Glory went straight through it and kept going, punching through the three floors before finally slowing down enough to stop at the next, ending up in a dining hall surrounded by debris as the best part of fifty demon guards who were having their lunch looked on in utter bewilderment as she dusted herself off. 'Okay where's Narwek?' she asked, unhooking the backpack letting it fall to the floor with a hefty thump then shaking her head to clear the dust out of her hair. 'What are you all deaf?' she asked angrily looking around, 'don't fuck with me I'm in the mood to start ripping off limbs' she warned them.

'Hellgod!' one exclaimed.

'Glorificus to you' the blond told him. 'Save yourselves pain, tell me where Narwek is and I'll play the merciful god' she promised. 'Cause me trouble and it's _vengeful_ god time' she added seriously.

One of the demons bared his fangs and snarled.

'Shit, I hate washing blood out of my hair' Glory responded with a sigh. 'Okay all together or one at a time' she beckoned them getting into a fighting stance, it wasn't necessary but Illyria had been training her to do the job right.

They were negotiating an armistice on Pylea, or rather they were _trying _to as none of the factions were particularly happy about it and this was reflected in the frankly irreconcilable terms being insisted upon by the adversaries. This was particularly the case regarding where the "temporary" border was going to be situated. The majority of the main continent was still in the hands of the forces of Narwek and Sebassis which were now being bolstered by three legions of Berith's own private demonic army and they maintained it should stay that way, for their part however the Pylean Defence Forces under the Groosalugg (still undefeated and also intending to stay that way) said nothing doing and were prepared to launch a new offensive to drive the enemy further back whether they had slayer assistance or not.

After finding out from Enyo that Sebassis had been training and equipping one of his legions with human firearms supplied by Wolfram & Hart (bastards had to wise up eventually everyone supposed but they'd hoped it would taken a couple of years at least) the slayers were advising caution. The PDF were still likely inordinately more effective soldier for soldier than the enemy, having being trained for months in the superior combat tactics and professional military doctrine of the human armies of Earth, but they were nonetheless greatly outnumbered and even a smattering of badly employed firearms massively increased the effectiveness of the opposition.

Sensing they had the upper hand the representatives of Narwek's government and it's "allies" had walked out of the talks the previous day expecting the other side to back down and accept their terms. This might have worked if not for an alternate approach being available, one that had been successfully used before back on Earth, bomb them, or rather in this case _Hellgod_ them, back to the negotiating table. Henry Kissinger would have been proud.

Stomping through the castle leaving chaos and bloody mayhem in her wake Glory grabbed the latest demon that tried to impede her path and twisted its head off like a bottle cap, barely slowing as she blazed her unstoppable trail of destruction. If she accomplished this mission Illyria was going to give her a month off, she already planned to go see Ben he was working at an ER up in San Francisco now and seemed to be doing okay for himself. He wasn't _really_ her brother but he felt like it and oddly she found she missed him.

Coming to a heavy wooden door Glory sent it crashing off its hinges with a flick of her finger and immediately moved to hyperspeed when she found a pair of human guards carrying sub-machineguns on the other side, slamming a fist through the nearest she then pivoted and delivered a perfect roundhouse kick that drove the other through the far wall shattering every bone in his body during the process.

Feeling please with herself Glory utilised the hole in the wall she had just made and found herself in the private quarters of Narwek. 'I can hear you breathing' she announced stepping over to the enormous four-poster bed that dominated the room and flipping it over with the end of her foot. Narwek had been cowering under the bed and now found himself lying exposed on the floor at the feet of the golden haired goddess. 'On your feet ugly' she ordered.

'Please don't kill me' Narwek pleaded getting up off the floor. 'I can give you gold, jewels...' he offered.

'You can't offer me my world back' Glory told him. 'It was a lovely little dimension, homely you know' she told him. 'I miss it' she continued with a sigh. 'Well that's the only thing I want and the only person offering it is Illyria' she said.

Narwek was terrified and began to tremble. '_Please_' he begged.

'Show some dignity man' Glory told him with clear disgust. 'You're supposed to be the ruler of this world' she reminded him. 'Okay it's a shithole, but get a grip' she added. 'I'm _not_ going to kill you' she told him.

'You... you're _not_?' he asked in shock.

'Nah I'm just going to break an arm, rip off one of your horns maybe' Glory told him. 'This is a friendly warning' she told him. 'Sign the damn armistice and accept the compromise border agreement' she told him.

'But... I'm... I'm just a figurehead' he admitted.

'We know that' Glory told him, rolling her eyes. 'Illyria is back on earth putting the shits up Sebassis and her daughter's got a scythe to Berith's throat to stop him intervening' she explained, _that _relationship was off to an increasingly rocky start she thought to herself. 'We're covering our bases, I got the least important job which is demeaning but at least it's easy' she said. 'Illyria reckoned she was going to have to take out at least two hundred guards to get to Sebassis' she continued. 'Okay are you right or left handed' she asked.

'Why?' Narwek asked.

'I need to break the other one so you can still use a pen' Glory explained. 'It'll be a clean break as long as you behave yourself and cooperate' she told him. 'Screw around and I'll just squeeze so hard it'll fracture to powder.'

Narwek grimaced, no the Hellgod was definitely being serious he decided, holding out his left arm. 'Could you knock me unconscious?' he requested hopefully.

'If _I'm_ having a bad day so are you' Glory responded, taking hold of his arm and snapping it like a twig.

On the way out and ignoring the screaming, the blood pooling liberally on the floor and the odd body part she idly booted out of the way, she popped into the castle treasury and snagged some jewellery she thought would look good on her. How the mighty have fallen she thought despondently as she found herself forced to loot instead of having lackeys smother her with gold, silver and precious stones. When she got back from her vacation she was going to insist on a sizeable allowance and maybe some servants.

Smashing up the shrines around the castle so Illyria could portal her back out once she was finished with Sebassis helped blow off some steam though. So much so that Glory became concerned that the psychotic Old One was rubbing off on her, violence was a means to an end for the Hellgod and not one she had ever particularly revelled in. Illyria was clearly a bad influence on people she decided.

**Hyperion Hotel – Los Angeles – August 2004**

Faith suspected that part of the appeal of Connor for Dawn was that he was the only sane guy with a pulse who would have the cohones to face down her sister even knowing what she was, but even so the way they were glaring into each other's eyes, the Destroyer looking down at the diminutive slayer but still aware despite her size she was the stronger if perhaps not quite the faster made Faith hoped like hell they weren't going to start swinging because she didn't want to get between them, where the hell was the superpowered daughter when you needed her?

'I'm gone for one night to see my friend and you drag my sister off and...' Buffy snarled. 'Screw her' she said. She had been told about Dawn's whereabouts as soon as she returned from Shadow Valley by Harmony, _Harmony _of all people and the next day when Dawn and Connor got back from what Spike called their "Dirty weekend" the slayer had ordered them into a room and proceeded to start bawling them out Faith following on behind thinking a referee might be required. Willow might have been a better choice but she was in Cleveland again having teleported out first thing.

'He didn't "drag" me anywhere' Dawn snapped back angrily. 'We love each other and what I do with my boyfriend is none of your business' she declared.

'He took advantage' Buffy retorted.

Connor looked seriously pissed-off at the accusation and if she wasn't a girl and Dawn's sister would have thrown a punch whether he thought he'd win the fight or not. 'I would _never_ take advantage of Dawn, or hurt her, or let anything, or any_one_ else hurt her' he told Buffy through clenched teeth with a clear message of menace.

The slayers eyes widened. 'You think_ I'd_ hurt Dawn?' she replied in surprise.

'You flew at us like a maniac as soon as we walked back into the hotel what the fuck do you expect him to think?' Dawn responded. Connor's fight or flight reflex was honed to a sharp edge given his upbringing and he tended to favour the former, put him in a stressful situation or threaten something he cared about and he'd start swinging.

'The only one I'm thinking about hurting here is _you_' Buffy told Connor.

Connor narrowed his eyes. 'I know you can take me' he replied. 'And _you_ know it won't be easy' he added.

'Okay that's it everyone takes a chill pill or I start busting heads' Faith spoke up.

'Stay out of this Faith this is family business' Buffy replied.

'Yes it is' Angel agreed walking in. 'Connor take a step back' he ordered.

'I'm staying between her and Dawn until she calms down Dad' Connor replied earnestly keeping his eyes locked on Buffy's.

'She's not going to hurt Dawn son' Angel told him. 'Faith you watch Buffy, I'll watch Connor' he told the other slayer.

'Right' Faith agreed.

'Now both of you calm down and back off' Angel told Buffy and Connor.

Connor blinked first and took a step backwards, half turning towards his father. 'So am I going to get a lecture?' he asked wryly.

'You're not a child Connor' Angel replied. 'Is Dawn?' he asked Buffy rhetorically.

'She's only...' Buffy began then stopped in her tracks realising that Dawn was older than she had been when she slept with the boy's father. She was pissed-off but saying something everyone knew was hypocritical sure as hell wasn't going to help her case.

Angel crossed his arms. 'One thing I am going to say is that if you'd said why you wanted to borrow the Plymouth I might have given you a talk instead of the keys.'

'Lot's of folk offering him keys' Faith was unable to stop herself saying, causing Buffy to round on her and direct the glare she had been focusing on Connor at her instead. Faith cringed and looked away, the last time B had looked that pissed at her she ended up in a coma.

Buffy closed her eyes, took a deep breath and let it back out slowly. Eventually opening them again and turning towards Dawn. 'I'm calm' she said. 'Want to talk it over?' she asked, keeping her temper in check.

'What's to talk over?' Dawn replied. 'My life, my decisions, my boyfriend' she told her. 'Come on Connor' she told him. 'My over-protective control freak sister seems to be regaining some sanity now.'

'Where are you going?' Buffy asked.

'Wherever I please' Dawn replied turning and walking away, Connor following her.

Faith pursed her lips. 'If it helps put things in perspective' she told Buffy. 'I'd kill for_ your_ domestic problems instead of mine B' she said honestly.

For her part Illyria considered it an excellent weekend, she restarted the armistice talks on Pylea, killed a large number of demons, completed her newly purchased copy of Doom 3 on the highest difficulty level and the Key was showing increasing independence from Buffy. Hopefully the latter situation would continue to develop, the improvement in the mental attitude of the gunslayers who had fought in the Pylean War whilst largely free from her sway testified to the fact that Buffy was clearly a bad influence on people.

* * *

**_Note from the Author:_**

_This fanfic runs on reviews... they must be a highly efficient energy source because this was the 101st chapter of the Compelled Series so far :-p_


	6. Chapter 6

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER SIX**

**Hyperion Hotel – Los Angeles – August 2004**

Dana continued to do push-ups beside one of the weight machines in the Hotel gym, she was approaching two hundred and was starting to get nicely warmed up. They would have been easier if it wasn't for the young girl in shorts and a tracksuit top that matched her own sitting cross-legged on her upper back for extra resistance, but it could have been a lot worse too, Deborah had only just turned thirteen and whilst not skinny she wasn't exactly hefty either.

'Think yourself lucky' Enyo told Dana with a smile. 'She used to make _me_ do those with a concrete block the size of a small car on my back.'

Deborah grinned. 'I can't believe I was your watcher' she said happily. 'I mean the future me from another timeline anyway' she continued. 'I was good at it right.'

'Yes' Enyo replied. 'They used to give you the hard cases, I was... awkward' she admitted. 'You were my watcher _pre_-Godhood too.'

'Awkward?' Deborah queried, 'with _your_ parents? I find that hard to believe' she responded deadpan though with an almost Old-One-esque twinkle in her eye.

'The sarcasm was the _other_ reason your sister was more in demand when people were given the option of _choosing_ their watcher' Enyo responded. 'That and the fact she never ran a slayer until they collapsed from exhaustion.'

'Wow how miles did that take?' Deborah asked.

'Don't tell her that, or anything else _please_' Dana begged, continuing her exercises.

'Okay Aunty D' Enyo replied. 'Sorry Watcher' she told Deborah, 'slayer solidarity and all that' she explained.

Deborah narrowed her eyes in a fashion that made Enyo, or rather her Rebecca side, have a very nasty flashback to when she'd been thirteen herself and had the misfortune of first crossing the terror of the Shadow Valley Slayer Academy. 'So since you're currently without a watcher how about you become my second charge?' the girl asked.

Even if it _hadn't_ been perfectly safe Enyo would have rather chewed broken glass. 'I think I'll stick with my Dad' she said.

'Offer stands' Deborah replied. 'Fifty more then I want three sets of a hundred sit-ups' she told Dana who groaned. She much preferred it when Jessica was doing the training but the girl's twin was helping her big sister with some translating.

Faith walked in dressed in workout clothes and was immediately spotted by Enyo who waved. 'Hi Mom' she greeted her causing Faith to stop dead in her tracks. Damn it, Faith thought, I've got to get used to that sometime.

'Hi... Sweetheart' Faith responded, that sounded maternal right, she thought? To be honest she wasn't sure if she was _supposed_ to be maternal or not but the girl seemed to expect it and other than feeling weird it couldn't really hurt right?

'I was telling Deborah here that like twenty years and maybe six inches in height from now she used to be my watcher' Enyo told Faith.

'And I'm her "Aunty D",' Dana added, sounding pleased at the notion.

'It's what you always told me to call her' Enyo told Faith.

Faith nodded. 'Yeah sounds like me' she reasoned. 'So was Buffy Aunty B?' she asked.

'Until I started calling her Chief' Enyo replied. 'I saw Dana a lot more growing up though, she used to stay with us all the time, Buffy mainly stayed at Shadow Valley' she said.

'Want to spar?' Faith asked, uncertain what else to say and then starting limbering up. 'By which I mean you don't hit me back okay?' she added. She had so many questions for the girl but didn't know how to even start sometimes, maybe a little slayer-to-slayer talk over training would help.

Enyo laughed. 'I remember the first time I flattened you' she said making her way to the rubber mats set up for the purpose and kicking off her trainers. 'I was fifteen and you were _pissed_' she said. 'You were still stronger but I knew your moves too well' she explained limbering up out of habit.

Faith did a few light stretches, slayer physique meant that they didn't need to warm up to avoid injury as much as a normal person, they were always ready for action in case of sudden demon attack, but it was still good policy not to exert yourself cold. They weren't _that_ inhuman physiologically.

Not like her daughter was anyway Faith thought as she passively observed Enyo. 'You're not going to cheat are you?' she asked. 'No screwing around with time or shi... stuff like that?' she continued.

Enyo smiled. 'No offence Mom but I don't need too' she replied. 'Slayer instincts and Old One reaction times' she noted before Faith suddenly launched into a series of attempted punches and kicks without warning, none of which connected as Enyo dodged, sidestepped and used her hands to block and deflect away the blows. 'Nice' she said as Faith jumped back preparing for another go. 'You're fast.'

'I'm like twenty years younger than I was when you sparred me before' Faith pointed out. 'What did you expect?'

'Hey you were still one of the best in your early forties Mom' Enyo told her.

Faith could barely imagine herself being in her forties. 'Kept in shape then?' she asked, circling her opponent as Deborah watched with professional interest.

'Dad seemed to like it' Enyo replied with a grin. 'Never could figure out why I was an Only Child once I figured out why he had that expression on his face when he watched you spar and why you both disappeared afterwards' she added cheekily.

'Hey that's enough of that I'm your Mom' Faith pointed out, dashing in for a punch which turned out to be a feint as she attempted a leg sweep. Enyo avoided the blow by doing a compact backflip of all things.

'Nimble little minx ain't ya?' Faith declared.

'Just showing off' Enyo admitted sheepishly. 'I'm more agile than Mother, thanks to you I suppose' she told Faith. 'The Rebecca part of me was better suited for gymnastics than the Fred part of Illyria' she continued.

'So you got my athleticism as well as my good looks' Faith replied. 'What did you get from Wes?'

'I'm a good shot, I prefer Tea to Coffee and should watch me hustle people at Darts' Enyo replied with a chuckle.

Faith watched her daughter carefully, dammit she didn't telegraph at all, almost no sign of muscles tensing to let you know the best approach to take. 'Good shot or not I don't see why you'd need to carry a gun at all, even that cannon you had strapped to your leg when you arrived.'

'Psychological impact when I use it and force of habit I suppose' Enyo replied with a shrug. 'It was a big step up from my standard slayer issue Glock' she continued. 'Dad had it made for me, it's a cut-down fifty-calibre Barrett M82A1, ten times the muzzle energy of a .44 Magnum and I load with custom Mk221 HEIAP rounds so it doesn't matter what I'm shooting at' she said. 'Combined effect High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armour-Piercing bullets' she explained. 'Blow the heart and most of the ribcage out of a Turok'Han and it'll put a Lava Demon on its ass, even take its whole head off at close range.'

'You're _definitely_ daddy's little girl' Faith responded wryly before striking out once again, this time with her fist. Enyo simply caught it in her own hand and began to squeeze.

'Say Uncle' she told Faith increasing the pressure to the point it was starting to hurt before grinning, 'Only kidding Mom' she said releasing it. 'I'd break every bone in your hand before you'd do that.'

'Good firm grip you've got there' Faith told her shaking her hand. That was what it must feel like to an ordinary human when a slayer did it to them she decided.

'You wouldn't believe the door handles and things I broke trying to get used to it' Enyo responded. 'It was a whole lot worse than when I was first called, even demonically enhanced humans aren't supposed to be _this_ strong' she said. 'I suppose when they put my soul back in it was more like humanically downgrading a demon, all my autonomic responses and reflexes were out of kilter, I used to have to concentrate hard to do the stupidest of things properly, like not explode toothpaste tubes when I squeezed some out onto my brush.'

'You're better now though?' Faith checked.

'As long as I'm not too stressed or excited' Enyo replied evenly. 'And in case you're thinking of asking yes that _does_ put a damper on my love life, I could accidentally cripple a guy if I got carried away.'

Faith blinked. 'Okay never thought of that one' she said. On occasion she had clawed a guy's back during the heat of passion, if Enyo did that she'd tear him apart. 'So you're like, still a virgin?' she asked quietly.

'No but don't tell Dad if he's like he was when I knew him he'll be happier thinking so' Enyo replied equally quietly. 'I had boyfriends before I went Goddessy, so I know what I'm missing unfortunately, none since then.'

'Whole new meaning to unsafe sex' Faith observed. It was also starting to occur that becoming a deity was by no means a fully positive thing for the girl. The immortality thing started to look unattractive if you might end up going a few millennia without getting any, prison had been bad enough. 'Did we talk like this before?' she queried. 'I mean this isn't my idea of a Mom/Daughter conversation not that I had too much opportunity for those.'

'I used to talk to you about everything, you wanted us to be friends. Dad was the one who got uncomfortable on certain topics' Enyo replied. 'If you weren't around I talked to Illyria and tried to decide if the advice she gave was good or not.'

Faith nodded. 'You know I don't know how well I'll be able to handle being your Mom' she said, 'but I can still be your friend' she offered.

Enyo beamed, 'I'd like that' she said, 'but I'm still going to call you Mom because calling you Faith would feel way too weird.

'Aren't you two supposed to be sparring?' Deborah asked loudly.

'It's amazing' Enyo responded, 'she's a kid and I'm a demi-god these days, but that voice still make's my blood run cold and it's already a few degrees cooler than normal to start with' she told Faith.

The thirteen year old watcher looked incredibly pleased with herself at the admission. She always knew she was born to do this job.

**Wolfram and Hart Building – Los Angeles – August 2004**

Ignoring the vocal objections of Tamika his Personal Assistant sitting at the desk outside Lilah walked straight into Berith's Office neither summoned or unannounced. The last time she did this she had found him enjoying the ministrations of one of the junior members of the legal department but there wasn't a redhead kneeling in front of his chair this time and he looked pissed off with life as opposed to the interruption.

'What do you want?' Berith asked tersely.

'I want you to start acting like a God and cut out the self-doubt' Lilah fired back. 'So you didn't see something coming, welcome to real life for the rest of us' she told in a disparaging tone.'

Berith scowled. 'Don't ascribe feelings to me just because you lower-life-forms might suffer from them' he growled. 'I'm the Lord of the Covenant not some petulant human child' he declared.

'Bullshit' Lilah responded. 'Ever since your supposed future hellspawn revealed herself you've been acting like someone took away your favourite toy' she told him. 'Christ you're not even sexually harassing the staff any more despite half the women in the building dyeing their hair red in the homes of getting a boost up the promotion ladder after they get you up their...'

'It's no more than a quarter of them tops' Berith interupted, his anger being partially replaced by a half smile. 'And you have no idea how disappointed I am you're not one of them.'

Lilah crossed her arms. 'You asked to keep me on here because of my brains' she reminded him. 'All I'm required to do with my head is give advice not... head.'

The Lord of the Covenant chuckled. 'You're right' he admitted. 'It's the shell you know, damn thing completely warps my world view.'

'And find another excuse' Lilah told him, 'that's wearing thin whether it's true or not' she continued. 'Illyria does okay with hers.'

Berith narrowed his eyes. 'Winifred Burkle wasn't anywhere near the obnoxious, irrational prick that _I'm_ forced to wear' he stated. 'And even Illyria ended up with unpleasant traits like having the hots for your ex' he pointed out. 'If you think she _likes_ having those emotions you're deluding yourself, she's just stuck with them like I am.'

'What do you want?' Lilah asked sarcastically. 'Pity?' she queried. 'Oh look at me I'm the Higher-Power with emotional problems to go with my immortality, godlike powers and my huge penthouse apartment' she continued scornfully. 'Get a life' she advised.

'You know how easily I could kill you without repercussions and you've _still_ got the balls to talk to me like that' Berith responded. 'Kudos' he told her and gave her a short round of applause. 'If you were a demon I'd put you in charge on one of my Legions' he said. 'As it is I'm glad I did keep you here, everyone else is too scared of me to be anything but a yes-man.'

'Already dead' Lilah noted, 'less to lose.'

Berith shook his head. 'I doubt that's it' he told her. 'So if I told you I had a vision of how good you'd look with red hair would that help?' he asked.

Lilah raised one eyebrow then sighed. 'Yeah right' she responded sardonically.

'I had to give it a try' Berith told her. 'I was going to call you later anyway as it happens' he said. 'You know it's the signing ceremony on Pylea tomorrow' he said. 'Well Tamika is taking the afternoon off to get a new set of clothes on expenses, could you do me a favour and give her some advice, I want attractive but efficient and business-like and you've got that down to a tee.'

'I didn't know she was coming' Lilah responded.

'Thought it would be useful to have someone to take notes and besides which she can go out in the sun and not catch on fire there so I thought it would be a nice gesture' he continued. 'She's a very good PA' he explained, 'and before you ask no I'm not screwing her' he added.

'Won't change her hair colour?' Lilah asked wryly.

'Test of willpower' Berith replied evenly.

'So what about the one's you _have_ screwed?' Lilah queried.

'The flesh is unyeilding but the spirit is weak' Berith replied with a shrug.

**Armistice Line – ****Pylea**** – August 2004**

The portals opened with that orb thing from Jasmine's old world didn't quite have Illyria's pin-point accuracy but they were close enough so that the swirling vortex opened between the two triple ranks of Pylean Defence Force soldiers as they had intended. The Groosalug stepped forward and faced the portal as a familiar form stepped out from it.

'Company' one of the PDF soldiers, a demon of the Deathwok clan bellowed causing them to rigidly straighten up, 'Company Atten-shun' he ordered, two hundred rifles snapping to a salute as Cordelia Princess of Pylea emerged from the portal mouth.

Groosalug the Undefeated saluted in the human military fashion then took a deep bow. 'My Princess your Army offers itself for inspection' he told her.

Having arrived twenty minutes earlier Buffy watched the ceremony from a couple of hundred yards away barely capable of keeping a straight face. It probably didn't help that Cordelia had chosen to wear combat fatigues matching those of the PDF incongruously topped off by a tiara, "Cordy Warrior Princess" as Dawn had styled the look, she even had a pistol at her side the gunbelt hanging at a stylish, rakish angle. 'Well at least she looks like she's taking it seriously' Buffy observed as Cordelia walked down the line inspecting the troops, pausing occasionally to ask a short question of one PDF soldier or another, being careful not to give more or less attention to any of the mixed races that made up the unit although she did pause a while when introduced to the newly commissioned Lieutenant Numfar, Lorne's brother.

'Symbolism in these things is important' Stirling observed. 'They think so too' he added pointing across the river where a similar ceremony seemed to be taking place with what must have been the best part of a full Legion drawn up to greet the arrival of Baal Berith.

'I just don't feel comfortable with all these... trappings' Buffy told the elderly watcher. 'They even got me to wear these' she said indicating the solid gold crossed scythes insignia on her collar, Buffy herself wearing the same uniform as the Gunslayers that had been fighting here since January, 'makes me feel like an overdressed third world despot' she said.

'People in power need to be reminded of it, keeps them aware of the fact they hold the fates of others in their hands' Stirling responded. 'Besides which if I may be so bold you make that outfit look distinctly more attractive than it would on your average military coup leader.'

Buffy smiled. 'Do they teach chivalry as part of the school curriculum back in the mother-country or something?' she asked.

'Ever visit a city centre in Great Britain on a Friday night after the pubs kick out and you'll be robbed of any such romantic illusions regarding my countrymen My Dear' Stirling told her. 'Shall we make our way to the tents?' he asked. 'Everyone else already seems to be gravitating that way and after the inspection Cordelia is scheduled to have lunch with the troops and some local dignitaries before the conference begins so we've got some time to kill' he noted.

Buffy nodded and they began heading for the large marquee which had been set up for the meeting. The armistice line at this point was a broad stretch of river with a small Island in the middle approximately a hundred yards across and three times that in length with stone bridges leading to either bank as a crossing point. It was a major trade route across the continent and was overlooked by a series of hills on the northern bank. Although supposedly a compromise, being roughly half way between the Chase River to the North which was as far as the PDF had established military control, and the Pylean Capital, it was in fact much easier to defend from this side helping to mitigate the still overwhelming numerical superiority of the enemy.

The marquee itself was situated on the Island, neutral ground as it were, and when they arrived they found it a hive of activity with tables and chairs still being set up and more than a few Slayers and PDF personnel exchanging glares with their opposite numbers from the armies of Narwek, Sebassis and Berith. Demons of the latter's Legions were by far the meanest looking creatures present, they were all well over seven feet, extremely muscular, wearing well made plate armour although Buffy noted that several of Sebassis troops were carrying firearms which concerned her even more. For their part the Pylean Defence Forces seemed to make up for in confidence what they lacked in physical stature, after all they had won a series of stunning victories over the last few months both with and without slayer assistance and even when towered over were putting out a definite vibe that told the opposition "you start something and we'll finish it".

A large table in the centre of the tent had a map spread over it showing the armistice line as a series of red dots that followed a seemingly erratic course from East to West over Pylea's single main continent. More than half of the territory remained in the hands of the invader and their puppet government but what was left still represented a huge swath of land containing forests, mountain ranges, plains and an unattractive mass of swamps. 'North and South Pylea' Buffy noted, indicating the legend on the map.

'With the two superpowers drawing up the border' Illyria declared, 'although we had far more influence there you will be pleased to note' she said. The border gave the North a clear preponderance of known mineral reserves and almost all of the Eastern Plains which would become the breadbasket of the new nation once Earth strains of grain crops were established there. It was like Kansas but bigger and amazingly flatter if anything, Pylean agriculture was late medieval in development like most of its society, late twentieth century strains of wheat and corn from Earth produced several times the yield of local crops and would drastically increase the food supply. Once you've got a food surplus you have a _people_ surplus which means you can diversify the economy into mining, industry and trade, unless the South did likewise in a generation or two North Pylea should make its southern neighbour look like a nation of peons living hand to mouth or at least that was the plan. The poor bastards would either be _begging_ for unification or else they'd be incapable of holding a PDF invasion back anyway, economic strength feeds into military strength.

'Still trying to get used to _being_ a superpower thing rather than just _having_ superpowers' Buffy admitted. 'You left Enyo and Glory back on Earth right?' she asked.

'As agreed they remain there in case the Wolf, Ram and Hart decides to use the presence of so many of our other important assets off-world to launch a sneak attack' Illyria replied. 'Do not fear, my Daughter would bathe them in blood for any such treachery' she declared. 'The uniform suits you' she added. 'You should wear one more often' the God-King opined.

Buffy shook her head. 'It's just not me' she responded. 'Vi looks the part though' she added indicating the tall redhead who had just entered the tent. A demon of Sebassis Army found itself standing in the way of the girl and Vi responded by placing her left hand meaningfully on the pommel of her short-sword whilst her right lowered itself onto her pistol holster causing the demon to reluctantly back down and step out of the way.

Having clearly stamped her authority on the situation and without even having to stamp on any heads Vi continued on and reaching Buffy delivered a precision salute which Buffy returned as best she could. 'I've got two squads ready to extract you from the conference if required Slayer-Chef' she said loudly so the opposition could hear. 'The Pylean Defence Forces are positioned to provide fire-support if necessary' she added.

'Pylean Defence Forces' a native Pylean demon wearing the uniform and bucket helmet of one of Narwek's men repeated scornfully, 'nothing but cowards and slayer puppets' he declared.

One of the PDF personnel, a human, rounded on him then instead of reaching for a weapon or even snarling in response he merely smirked. 'If you traitors fought a _tenth_ as well as you talked it would have taken more than a few hundred of us to drive you back half way across this realm' he declared. 'Enjoy being a slave, I'll be a free man in _free_ Pylea' he stated triumphantly earning a chorus of appreciative whoops and grunts from the other human and demons wearing the same uniform as him.

'Living under the rule of a human female' the demon retorted.

'Constitutional Monarchy' the human replied. 'Look it up in a book' he said. 'No' he corrected herself. 'Learn to read, _then_ look it up in a book' he told the demon sarcastically.

The demon snorted. 'Without a strong hand your nation will collapse' he stated confidently. 'Even human cattle are treated the same as true Pyleans when they are good for nothing but servitude and food' he declared.

'Keep telling yourself that' the PDF trooper responded. 'It'll make wiping out the rest of you traitors and reuniting Pylea easier when we start marching south again' he said. 'One Land, One Princess, One Nation free and independent' he declared loudly.

'One Land, One Princess, One Nation free and independent' the other PDF troops, human and demon alike echoed.

'I'm glad we intervened' Buffy told Stirling quietly. 'These people were worth helping' she said.

Illyria inwardly smiled, easily overhearing the slayers words. It would be easier to get her to agree to send troops to other dimensions now the God-King decided, then it would be baby steps from liberal interventionism to empire.

"One Multiverse, One God-Empress, One Nation eternal and ascendant" as a motto had a ring to it she thought.

* * *

**_Note from the Author:_**

_This fanfic runs on reviews_


	7. Chapter 7

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

_Special thanks to my new Beta-Reader **pcody**_

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

**Hyperion Hotel – ****Los Angeles**** – August 2004**

Dawn fixed the thing to her left forearm nervously. 'It's not going to stab me right?' she asked with concern.

Both Fred and Knox laughed. 'No the needles only engage when you want to open a portal and anyway that switch there is a mechanical safety catch which you'll be pleased to hear is currently on' Fred told her.

'You're sure?' Dawn checked.

'Yes' Fred confirmed. 'How does it feel?' she asked.

'Lighter than it looks' Dawn replied moving her arm to see how much the bulky looking device restricted her movement. It reached almost to her elbow and looked more like a featureless black slab of plastic than anything else. Three watch straps held it on and they seemed nicely snug and secure.

'Switch it on' Knox suggested.

'How?' Dawn queried.

'Press the thumb from your other hand anywhere on the top of the casing' Knox told her. 'It acts like a fingerprint reader according to the manual.'

Dawn cautiously pressed the thumb of the right hand onto the thing. 'Nothing's happening' she said.

'It has to power up because you haven't been wearing it' Fred told her. 'It actually uses you as the power source for the electronics.'

'How?' Dawn asked.

Knox picked up a diagram he'd printed out. 'The device uses a crystal of the same type as the Portal Orb we already had to open up the portal' he began. 'It's a lot smaller but it doesn't need to be very big because you're blood carries much more power than the ordinary blood the larger crystal was designed to work with.'

'I know that' Dawn responded.

'Okay but do you remember that if you get near to that Orb it vibrates?' Knox asked.

'Yeah' Dawn replied. 'If I get really close it glows green.'

'Right' Knox responded. 'Well the little crystal in the thing there vibrates when it's near you too, so what the genius that designed it did' he said, himself being that genius. 'Was rig up a tiny generator to turn that vibration into electricity' he explained. 'Once it's charged the capacitors in there, it'll fire up.'

'_I'm_ the battery for this thing?' Dawn exclaimed, holding up the arm with it on.

'Yup' Fred replied. 'And what's more you're the only one that can use it because nobody else can be.'

'I think it's on' Knox noted, pointing at the device on Dawn's arm. She looked at it and the black glass had lit up into what appeared to be a liquid crystal display, like a colour PDA screen. 'I designed the operating system for it too' he added.

Dawn looked at the screen and the logo that had appeared. 'Portals 25' she read out. 'Where do you want to go today?' she continued incredulously. 'Oh you're _kidding_?' she exclaimed, giving Knox a look before rolling her eyes.

Fred was laughing. 'According to the manual you can select different functions, it doesn't just open portals it's got a demon database, electronic diary, it connects up with any available cellphone network so you can make calls...'

'You can watch TV' Knox interrupted, 'remotely hack other machines, play music or videos there's gigabytes of spare space in there for any files you want to download, MP3's or whatever' he said.

'How do I open a portal?' Dawn asked, already impressed at her cool new toy that beat Connor's knife than turned into a sword all to hell.

'Press the swirly symbol that _looks_ like a portal, and you can either scroll up and down the list of destinations already in there or type in a code on that keypad that just appeared' Fred replied as Dawn touched the screen. 'When you're ready, switch off the mechanical safety catch and press go, two sprung-loaded needles stick in your arm to access your blood and after a couple of seconds a portal opens about six feet in front of you' she said. 'Then you can adjust the size of the portal by pressing the plus or minus key.'

Dawn frowned. 'I guess it hurts right?' she asked.

'The needles will but they're very sharp so it shouldn't be too bad' Fred replied. 'Having your power drained would only hurt if you opened a very large portal.'

'But no long-term damage?' Dawn checked.

'No but if you tried to open it up beyond say thirty feet across it would be agonising' Knox told her, 'by which I mean according to the part of the manual _you_ wrote, getting set on fire would feel "kinda nice by comparison".'

'Best not put on too much weight then' Dawn joked.

Fred giggled. 'I guess you and Connor were built for economy class portal travel with the narrow seats' she said. 'Me too' she added.

'Yeah if you'd been three hundred pounds you would have never ended up on Pylea' Dawn replied.

'Damn metabolism' Fred deadpanned.

'From my perspective you both look good' Knox interjected.

'Well duh' Dawn responded with a grin. 'So I hear you're taking Amanda out on a date' she asked him.

'We're going to a Dungeons and Dragons tournament not out on a date' Knox replied evenly. 'Andrew was going to come too but he dropped out because he's revising for some test.'

'But does _she_ think it's not a date?' Dawn asked with a sweet smile. Amanda had definitely been picking on Knox which had led Buffy to surmise she liked him.

'She's too young for me' Knox declared.

Dawn laughed. 'She's the same age as Molly and you're _centuries_ younger than Drogyn' she pointed out. 'Anyhow you're an Illyria worshipper right?' she asked.

'To follow the lead of the God-King is my path' Knox concurred. He kept a shrine to her in his room which now had a small extension for her Daughter the God-Princess Enyo, he knew people laughed about it behind his back, and sometimes right in front of him, but at least he knew his God personally in the flesh unlike most people, evidence for most people's religions was far more sketchy than his.

'And the age gap between her and her "Prince-Consort" is...?' Dawn asked rhetorically. 'Just keep in mind that Amanda can break you in half' she advised. 'Or that she's my friend and I can dump you through a portal even Illyria couldn't get you back from' she added.

Fred smiled at Dawn. 'Playing matchmaker?' she asked.

'You're next on my list' Dawn replied tongue-in-cheek. 'Give me a set of criteria and I'll see what I can come up with' she said. 'If it comes out as Connor he's spoken for' she added.

'So I hear' Fred replied then looked concerned. 'Um Knox could you check on the mainframe, I've just had a horrible thought and I'm not sure if I updated the firewall properly earlier' she requested.

'I'll get right on it' Knox replied and dashed off. The security of data in there was vital especially the future stuff.

Fred gave Dawn a look. 'Now I've got rid of him when I said "so I hear" I meant that literally because Connor's bedroom is near mine and he needs new springs in his mattress' she advised.

'Oh' Dawn replied blushing.

Fred grinned. 'First one of those criteria is your boyfriend's stamina by the way' she told Dawn. 'You two are killing my sleep pattern.'

**Armistice Line – ****Pylea**** – August 2004**

Cordelia looked down at the proposed text of the full armistice agreement and tapped the clause that was currently proving such at sticking point. 'You realise this applies to the people on _both_ sides of the line' she pointed out. 'It doesn't just give the people in the South six weeks to migrate into our territory before we lock down the border, anyone in the North who wants to live under _your_ government can move the other way too' she told Narwek who was sat directly across the negotiating table from her. Buffy sat to her right facing Sebassis and Illyria to her left facing Berith, in many ways _both_ Narwek and Cordelia were in the position of authority only because it suited all sides to keep up the pretence that the two were running things and were not merely pawns in a larger game, not that Cordelia herself would ever accept_ that_ analogy.

'Irrelevant, that section is unacceptable' Narwek stated in response flatly and turned to both Berith and Sebassis in turn for support which they gave with a nod. There was considerable murmuring amongst the other occupants of the large tent who were roughly split between officers and officials of both sides. Vi had found herself a spot where she could alternately glare and smirk at the head of the Wolfram and Hart Special Operations Team who had accompanied Berith's delegation. The prick's name was Hauser apparently, and he was roughly her equivalent in rank and role she decided so the "Gunslayer-Chef" had singled him out for attention. Lot's of the major players were there, even Lilah who was occasionally whispering advice into the ears of the three leading Wolf, Ram and Hart representatives. Her power-suit certainly stood out next to the uniforms, the only other's in civilian garb were the two ladies sat taking notes.

Cordelia's own attention focused on the intransigent Narwek and she resisted the urge to smirk herself. 'Are you saying you think that given the opportunity far more of the people in the South would choose to live on our side than the reverse?' she asked sweetly. It was of course true, humans and those demons opposed to Narwek's regime constituted a considerably larger percentage of the population of the Southern part of the continent than his supporters numbered in the North.

'Ridiculous' Narwek replied. 'We feel you will use it to infiltrate our land with spies and saboteurs' he told her, it was a far less embarrassing reason to cite for objecting to the clause though she was in fact spot-on.

'You can screen them with psychics' Cordelia suggested, playing along. 'That's what _we'll _be doing to anyone that heads North' she told him. She turned in her chair to look up at Groo who was stood behind her. 'Are the troops ready to move if negotiations collapse?' she asked.

'Ready and more than eager my Princess' he replied truthfully. Most of the Pylean Defence Forces wanted to keep fighting, the armistice certainly wasn't popular amongst the rank and file some considered it dishonourable, others couldn't understand why they were quitting when they'd been doing so well.

'Bluster' Berith declared. '_You_ were the ones that called for peace' he noted.

'Not at _any_ cost' Cordelia snapped back. 'If you think we'll sign away the rights, and the _lives_, of the people in the South you are seriously mistaken' she declared. 'Besides which if we move right away we'll smash anything you put in front of us and be in the Capital by the day after tomorrow and _then_ try getting us back out' she continued. 'We could tie up more than half your army in street fighting for the next six months, smash up the shrines and portal supplies in, it'll make the Battle of Stalingrad look like a walk in the park' she declared. 'Do a cost- benefit analysis on that' she told Lilah, directing a sneer at the woman who was leaning in to talk to Berith again. The Capital city of Pylea was the only urban centre on the whole planet that was large and built up enough to provide an arena for that kind of engagement, despite a few of Sebassis Demon Soldiers now started to carry guns overall they still lacked enough troops with firearms to hold a determined PDF advance so they_ would_ take the city and it would bleed the enemy white to take it back again.

'You're bluffing' Narwek responded.

'Look in my eyes and then tell me you really think so' Cordelia snapped back. She wasn't, although she also wasn't a fraction as sure of herself as she was making out to be. She was playing a role, Princess of Pylea, her goal was "peace with honour" as Giles had put it before she left Earth and her motivation was that she didn't want anyone else getting killed unless it was for a damn good reason.

Narwek blinked and turned to Sebassis who was frowning. The Archduke did not want to lose any more of his troops fighting in this primitive backwater and although there was no way he would have been willing to lose face by pulling out completely he could always spin this by saying he had fought the slayers to a standstill. It would have been different if they had another month, or ideally two or three more to train and equip his Legions with the weapons that Wolfram Hart was providing, but right at this moment the PDF maintained a sizeable edge in both firepower and tactical effectiveness. They really _would_ smash through both his own forces and the small though increasing number of troops Berith had begun to deploy here, and though they would be unable to hold their gains long term, in the short to medium term they would inflict vicious casualties.

'Open border for three weeks' Narwek said eventually after Berith slipped a handwritten note in front of him.'

Cordelia rolled her eyes. 'With the roads _here_?' she responded. 'It would take longer than that for some people in the deep South, or the far North' she added diplomatically, 'to pack up and travel that distance.'

Berith leaned over and whispered in Narweks ear. 'Six weeks but only three authorised crossing points' he offered. 'Anyone attempting to cross at any other location will be executed.'

Cordelia turned to Groo. 'Can the roads handle that traffic if we use the three main North-South trading routes?' she asked. He knew the geography of Pylea intimately, plus he had been kept well up to date on the situation in the south thanks to Lorne's spy network that now criss-crossed the continent.

'Barely, but it would be easier for us to handle on our side too' Groo replied. 'We are short of cavalry to patrol many more roads since we need to keep the bulk of our forces ready to strike South if these invaders and traitor scum betray their word' he declared, giving Narwek a venomous look.

'So is _that_ what passes for diplomacy amongst your allies?' Berith asked Illyria wryly.

'Better than the cowardice and ineptitude that has revealed itself as the prevalent characteristics of yours' Illyria responded smugly.

Berith scowled, the problem was it was true. Even taking account of their better weapons and imported tactics the PDF had shown itself to have far greater fighting spirit than Narwek's men. One of the senior officers of a Legion of the Archduke had summed it up quite nicely; "The longer I stay here the more convinced I am we're fighting the wrong Pyleans".

'Sambuca what came after "cowardice and ineptitude"?' Harmony whispered to the girl sitting next to her.

'It's _Tamika_' the girl replied fighting back a growl. 'Can't you do shorthand?' she asked.

'Not quickly if they use long words' Harmony admitted. 'Come on we used to work together, help a girl pal out' she said quietly.

'I had to _remind _you we worked together' Tamika hissed back. She couldn't believe that this blond twit was the best the Slayers could come up with.

'Are you two finished?' Berith said angrily. Harmony and Tamika looked up and found everyone was looking at them.

'Eep!' Harmony said and quickly copied off Tamika's pad while the other girl cringed.

'Next time I'm bringing Andrew and his video camera' Buffy said to herself, shaking her head sadly. She couldn't believe Angel had talked her into bring Harmony along as their admin and secretarial assistance, he said it would be a special treat to give her some free time in the sunshine without combusting and maybe stop her wheedling to borrow his Gem of Amara so she could go to the beach.

'Moving on' Cordelia began again, 'we want it on record that we don't want Dragon's entering our airspace' she told Narwek.

'They are not like those machines you use for aerial reconnaissance' Sebassis replied. 'They are not so tame and domesticated that we have full control over exactly where they fly' he said. 'Any that are on routine patrol near the armistice line can only be expected to wander over occasionally by accident' he continued.

Any "accidents" will be _deliberately_ targeted by Surface to Air Missiles so their handlers had better keep them well away from the border then' Cordelia stated. 'Feel free to shoot down anything _we _accidentally send over your side of the line' she said trying to sound reasonable. Of course modified radio-controlled aircraft were a great deal easier to replace than huge winged fire-breathing reptiles, as well as being harder to hit.

'Do you have any idea what those creatures are worth?' Sebassis asked through gritted teeth.

'Not Factory Sticker Price, we've only ever sold them for parts only once they've been through a chop shop' Cordelia replied straight-faced. 'That was more than pay for the missiles though' she added with a smirk.

Berith's eyes seemed to glow even redder than normal. According to some estimates from the accounting department the Slayer might have actually made an overall _profit_ from the Pylean War, as opposed to the huge losses both financial and in personnel terms incurred by the forces aligned with the Wolf, Ram and Hart. He would have set about reversing the situation personally but then his damn daughter had arrived with tales of far worse things than slayers and some malcontent Pyleans to worry about. Peace, or at least nothing more than simmering low-key conflict on this world was necessary for both sides if they were going to have to make war on the armies of the Higher Power Jasmine or some Alternate First Evil. 'Are you _trying_ to provoke us?' he asked Cordelia pointedly.

'If she wants you provoked you _will_ be' Buffy advised him honestly. Cordy had a vicious tongue on her when she wanted to, this was being playful. On the other hand it hadn't been all _that_ conciliatory or diplomatic when she had walked over the bridge from the Northern bank to the small Island over a carpet of enemy Battle Flags and Banners which had been captured over the last half year by the PDF and which they symbolically threw down in front of her. Illyria had nearly kicked herself for not thinking of it first, the expressions on the faces of the enemy soldiers had been priceless, one of the gunslayers nearly wet herself laughing after her professional demeanour crumbled and her game-face quit.

Outside the tent and lacking anything to shoot at unless the talks inside took a serious turn for the worst Douglas Ashton was socialising. 'Yeah I hear from a couple of your guys we took prisoner how much they were paying you' he told the black clad Wolfram and Hart Special Op's guy that was stood next to him having interposed himself with the opposition. 'That's twice what I was making as a Merc in Iraq let alone what I'm getting paid now' he added.

'Maybe you should change sides' the other mercenary suggested. 'You've got insider knowledge, they be bound to take you' he said.

Ashton nodded. 'Yeah but I've got used to the fringe benefits of the gig I'm on now' he said regretfully.

'Fringe benefits?' the Special Op's guy queried.

'All those teenage girls' Ashton replied. 'Once they've been through their first firefight they get all clingy and want someone to look after them and then there's the ones that don't want to die virgins' he said. 'It's a public service really' he said nodding to himself.

The Wolfram and Hart guy looked at the Canadian dubiously. 'Like the ones in charge are going to let you screw them' he responded with a snort.

'We're on fucking _Pylea_ man' Ashton pointed out. 'We only get a supply run every couple of weeks how often do you think the Senior Staff even _visit _this dump?' he asked. 'We plan our own operations, run our own affairs' he noted. 'As long as we killed enough demons every week to hit the body-count target they left us alone completely to run our own shit' he said.

The Special Op's guy sighed. 'They never gave _us_ that much leeway' he admitted.

'Shit man you work for fucking lawyers and politicians' Ashton commiserated. 'The only guy I report to here used to be a paratrooper like me' he said.

One of the gunslayers approached, rifle slung over her shoulder and treating the presence of enemy troops with apparent nonchalance. 'Caporal-Chef' she said, 'they bought a case of Scotch in with the ammo shipment, we getting some downtime tonight?' she asked hopefully.

'Assuming we aren't at war again by sundown I don't see why we can't have some fun' Ashton told her.

'Great' the girl responded happily before leaning in close. 'We still need you to judge that blow-job competition' she whispered in his ear just loud enough to be overheard.

'I'll be up for that' Ashton replied enthusiastically.

'Well you'd better be' the girl replied with a sultry smile.

Some distance away Stirling collared another of the girls. 'Why are Ashton and Gina over there consorting with the enemy?' he asked.

'The Caporal-Chef called it "psychological warfare" Sir' the girl replied.

Stirling frowned. He wasn't exactly sure what that meant but he had to admit the Wolfram and Hart chappie did look extremely downhearted and demoralised all of a sudden.

**Hyperion Hotel – Los Angeles – August 2004**

'You seem distracted somehow' Wesley observed watching Enyo's body language as she put down her dinner tray next to his and her Mom's and began looking around the dining room.

Enyo pursed her lips. 'It's weird' she replied. 'I'm picking up this faint Old One vibe and I shouldn't be' she said developing a frown. 'It's almost familiar' she said. 'Normally with Mother or Father anywhere within ten thousand miles I'd be too swamped by their aura's to detect anything that diffuse but it's definitely out there' she said, turning to face East like she was trying to track where it was coming from. 'And now it's gone totally' she said. 'Maybe I'm being paranoid, I do get these odd feelings I'm being watched sometimes.'

'Maybe it's the PTB's' Faith suggested, stretching out her legs under the table.

'Maybehaps' Enyo replied doubtfully, 'or I'm going insane which wouldn't surprise too many people I suppose' she said. 'I won't say which girl it was but I was told that whether the nature or nurture argument was right I was pretty much screwed either way' she joked.

'I think she just insulted us' Wesley told Faith.

'You're grounded Missy' Faith told Enyo then turned to Wesley. 'We can stop her teleporting away when we send her to her room right?' she asked in mock seriousness.

'I'll talk to Willow' Wesley replied. 'Stopping her punching a hole in the outside wall and jumping the five stories to the ground would be trickier I'd think.'

'Well I ain't spanking her instead' Faith stated, 'it would only hurt one of us and it wouldn't be her' she noted.

'And they always called _you_ the hard-ass, Mom' Enyo responded with a chuckle. 'Okay I promise to be a good, obedient, dutiful daughter from now on' she said sweetly and more than slightly unconvincingly as far as Wesley was concerned. For one thing her mannerisms were far too much like Faith's for him to buy that load of cobblers.

Faith resisted the urge to ask the state of her ass in about twenty years time and instead stole a piece of bread off Wesley's tray to dip into the gravy on her plate. Andrew's repertoire continued to grow and improve and this stuff wasn't bad she decided as she mopped up the remains of her dinner. She had heard that Andrew was trying to get Giles to accept him as a Watcher instead and was studying for an exam but she hoped like hell he flunked badly, it would be a shame if he wasn't around to make tasty meals on demand, she sincerely doubted he'd be as good a watcher as he was a cook. 'Did you hear that Angel's taking Connor to Ireland, getting back to his roots or some shit?' she asked.

'No?' Wesley replied, snatching back what remained of his bread prompting Faith to grin at him.

'Nina's idea' Faith told them. 'She thought that now since he's got that Gem thing they could fly over there and Angel could show the kid where he grew up.'

'I'm sure the tours of the potato farms and Guinness brewery will be enlightening to the boy' Wesley responded with a chuckle.

'Hey watch it Englishman' Faith fired back. 'I'm Boston Irish remember.'

Wesley grinned. 'Have you ever noticed that every ethnic group here seems to call itself Irish-American, or African-American, or Italian-American or whatever but you never hear English-American bandied about the same way' he asked.

Faith blinked. 'Never even thought of it' she replied, 'but you're right' she admitted. 'Where ya going with this?' she asked suspiciously, Wes often had a sneaky ulterior motive for saying stuff.

'That's because the English tend to integrate wherever they go' Wesley told her. 'They don't typically stay English-Americans, or English-Canadians, or English-Australians for umpteen generations after they arrive, they're just Americans, Canadians or Australians.'

'What's your point?' Faith queried in confusion.

'We're the liquid in the melting pot' Wesley announced, 'the rest of you are the lumpy bits floating in it' he deadpanned then started laughing as he dipped the remains of the bread in his own gravy.

Enyo groaned. 'He's my Dad so I _have_ to love him but sometimes I've _got_ to wonder what you and Illyria see in him' she asked Faith. 'If it's the sex don't say it just make something up, I'd prefer to think you only did it once which is where I came from' she joked.

Faith sighed. 'It's _not_ the sex' she replied.

'Oi!' Wesley protested.

'It's the expression on his face when I say stuff like that' Faith declared with a grin. 'Puppy dog meets Marlboro Man' she said then leaned over kiss him on the cheek.

Enyo smiled. Mom and Dad seemed happy enough at this point in the timeline she decided, what she had to work on was getting Mother to be nicer to Mom she realised. Fortunately she already had a plan for that, she might be more of a New One than an Old One but she could still strategise with the best of them.

Just because you came back in time to save the world didn't mean you couldn't invest some time and effort into making your parents happy too both Enyo and Rebecca had jointly decided. When they were in full agreement underneath that red hair and behind those blue eyes there wasn't much that could stop them, it was only an issue of wanting it bad enough.

Manipulating the situation to replace Buffy with Mom as the Slayer-in-Chief, and Dad taking over from Giles as Head of the Watcher's Council was going to be the real problem here Enyo/Rebecca realised. It was necessary of course, Buffy was bound to drop the ball, just like she had first time around, and Giles was too loyal to her to wake up and smell the sulphur from the apocalypse breathing down their necks.

Enyo had seen worlds on fire, drenched in blood, millions butchered and enslaved. With the mind inherited from her Old One Mother and Father she could fully comprehend the scale as no human could and unlike them she had a soul and could _feel_ it too. A tiny fraction of such pain and realisation had once driven Willow mad, spurred her to try to end the world to blot it out, unlike her Enyo was compelled to _save_ it, and innumerable others like it. And if she did it right no one would ever even notice her doing it, that's what being a God, or even a Half-Human Demi-God, was all about.

Old One ambition fuelled by human love and compassion... and to think people thought it was her ability to swing a scythe that made her the ultimate weapon Enyo thought with an inward chuckle as she smiled at her Mom and Dad.

* * *

**_Note from the Author:_**

_If anyone isn't reading the "Tales from the Compelled 'Verse" over on Twisting the Hellmouth may I suggest you do, there's a link to the Compelled Series on TtH on my profile here which will take you there. So far there's what you might call a co-existing "spin-off" series in there by **misterq** that's up to its third chapter, one-off stories by both myself and **Kiwikatipo** and a hilarious song by **ShyBob**. Honestly it's worth a look if you like the world of Compelled._

_This fanfic runs on reviews, I have yet to find a power-source comparable to Dawn :-p_


	8. Chapter 8

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

_Special thanks to my Beta-Reader **pcody**_

**_WARNING - MINOR SPOILERS FOR THE SEASON 8 COMICS_**

****

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**Hyperion Hotel – ****Los Angeles**** – ****August**** 2004**

'I think still someone should have told Ashton that Harmony was a vampire' Buffy maintained as she emerged from the portal in the empty basement just ahead of Illyria. 'What if she'd ripped his throat out when they disappeared together?'

'It is my understanding that he _was_ told Harmony was a vampire' Illyria replied as the portal closed behind them. 'The fact he knew of Glory's true nature did little to dissuade him from pursuing her either when we were there previously.'

Buffy blinked. 'Guess he likes them blond and evil' she surmised.

'Perhaps so' Illyria concurred, 'though I am sure that encountering the half-breed sunbathing in a bikini by the river after the first day of negotiations broke up may have been the main factor in driving his amorous approaches' she replied. 'It was generous of you to allow her to remain on Pylea until the next supply run' she said.

'I didn't have the heart to tell her she had to come home as soon as we signed the treaty' Buffy replied. 'She might be evil but she's so bad at it and... 'Buffy paused 'fluffy' she said eventually, 'and Cordelia seemed to be grateful for the company' she added.

'Cordelia was correct that her minions need her to be present as a figurehead for the immediate future' Illyria opined. 'If they are to forge a new identity as a nation I mean.'

Buffy rolled her eyes. 'At the very least you could call them "Subjects" or something' she said, heading up the stairs. It was bad enough they were establishing a monarchy rather than a proper US style republic.

'You should be grateful that the odious taint of Political Correctness and constant chiding by my Wesley has largely ceased me calling you all vermin' Illyria responded evenly, at least to there faces anyhow. 'It is surely unreasonable to expect me to fully change the habits of a myriad lifetimes?' she queried.

'No' Buffy disagreed flatly.

'I treat you with _far_ more respect and consideration that you do relatively equivalent lower-life forms such as rodents' Illyria pointed out reasonably.

'To be honest I think Willow was nicer to Amy when she was a rat' Buffy replied. 'Thinking of which Witch, what's your plan if she _doesn't_ become a team player?' she queried.

'Extreme psychological duress' Illyria replied, 'perhaps mild torture if that proves unsuccessful' she continued. 'Although Wesley considers sensory deprivation and restrictive incarceration a viable alternative, if a means not suited to rapid results.'

'Not following you Blue' Buffy admitted.

'We stick her in a closet bound in enchanted chains until she becomes pliant' Illyria explained.

Buffy sighed. 'It's very difficult to like you sometimes Illyria' she said, 'and Wesley for that matter' she added.

'I cannot speak for My Wesley but for my own part that knowledge does not bother me a great deal' Illyria replied. 'I do attempt to be amiable however' she continued, 'if it helps your opinion of me, do recall that I _did_ save your life' she noted.

'Yeah well, it does put you ahead of all the other rude, megalomaniacal demons I've met' Buffy admitted.

Illyria nodded as they approached the lobby. 'I have a certain vague fondness for you also' she admitted. 'I would certainly prefer the universe as it is now, with you in it to the alternative.'

'Careful now' Buffy warned. 'Any more of that and Harmony won't be the only evil girl I call fluffy.'

'It would be wise not to test my tolerance for you in such a manner' Illyria replied stopping dead in her tracks. 'Though Wesley often calls me sweet' she said after a pause, 'I try much harder for him' she told the slayer.

'Even if he_ is_ only a lower-life form like me?' Buffy asked with amusement.

'The pay-off in terms of affection, companionship and sex is worth the indignity' Illyria replied honestly. 'You should find yourself a mate' she suggested. 'It would likely make dealing with you more pleasant for all concerned' she said. 'You are remote from your min... your warriors, which may be due in part to a foul temper resulting from missing out on regular sexual release' she opined then looked like she was considering something. 'Although the circumstances that resulted in the condition were hardly of my choosing, Faith for instance seems more generally agreeable and placid now than she was before she became Concubine to my Consort' Illyria stated, sticking to her official line on what the relationship between Wesley and Faith was. 'On another note of interpersonal relations your relationship with Dawn is not ideal at present either and needs work.'

Buffy glared at the Old One. 'And what does _that_ have to do with _you_?' she asked angrily. The clinical dissection of her non-existent sex-life was one thing, knowing Anya for years had desensitised her to people commenting on such issues, but her current clashes with her sister wasn't a topic she was going to have raised by the likes of Illyria.

The God-King looked slightly taken aback by the slayers reaction. 'I meant to cause no offence' she said, 'when I _do_ mean offence it is fairly obvious' she noted. 'I merely think that you should endeavour to stay close to your sibling' she said, 'I may be influenced in this opinion by the arrival of my Daughter' she explained. 'The enjoyment I feel in her company may have prompted a world-view more family orientated than before' she said. 'It is simply nice to have her around, you should seek to prevent estrangement from your own kin' she said.

'Oh' Buffy responded, calming down. 'I don't mean any offence either but with you I always expect an ulterior and well frankly evil motive' she admitted.

'I am not so shallow or one-dimensional as to be _always _following some nefarious agenda, nor am I a monster' Illyria replied curtly. 'I freely and without prevarication admit I can be vengeful, calculating and vicious, but even in my untainted original form I was never needlessly cruel or malevolent' she declared. 'Please do not assume I am incapable of empathy or compassion' she continued sternly. 'I may correctly consider myself your superior in all but the most trivial of ways, but that does _not_ mean I am entirely indifferent to your emotional states when I sense them' she said, astonishingly sounding slightly hurt about it.

'Sorry' Buffy apologised. 'Look I know you're not some cartoon villain' she said. 'Thanks for caring I suppose' she added. At the back of her mind the nagging fear manifested itself that she was just as big a bigot as Illyria in the opposite direction. Demons, even ones without a soul, had surprised her by being able to feel emotions such as love and this didn't always fit very well into a nice simple black and white world view which was frankly the one she would have preferred. Demons bad, humans good would have been much preferable to all the shades of grey of real life.

'You're welcome' Illyria replied, offering an olive branch of sorts. 'I do not know if my opinion matters but my heightened senses tell me Connor genuinely cares for Dawn, and furthermore my logic tells me she could not find a more suitable mate in terms of accepting her origins, nor indeed in terms of protecting her from harm when you are absent' the God-King told the slayer.

Buffy pursed her lips. 'Would you let him date Enyo?' she asked with a smile.

'I would hope she could do better and find herself a nice Demi-God who would worship her as she deserves' Illyria replied, 'but as regards Connor I would not consider him sufficiently _un_acceptable to risk my relationship with her' she said. 'Surely the same is true for yourself?' she asked. 'You did not appear massively opposed to their romance _before_ they started a sexual relationship.'

'Good point, well made' Buffy conceded, Connor and Dawn hadn't seemed quite as important an issue until then. 'A Demi-God not a _full_ God for Enyo?' she queried.

'I would expect _her_ to wield the most influence and to wear the battle-armour in the relationship so to speak' Illyria replied. 'No daughter of _mine_ is going to be supplicant to some man, deity or otherwise' she declared vehemently.

'Right-On Sister' Buffy agreed with a grin. Considering her hermaphrodite origins Illyria took the concept of "Girl-Power" to new and interesting heights. 'Girls often fall for guys that remind them of their fathers, how would you feel about that?' she asked curiously, Illyria's perspectives on things were often interesting to hear, her world view was more than a touch different from most people.

Illyria grimaced as she considered the question. 'The more time I spend in his company the more it becomes established that Berith is quite evidently a jerk' she stated, 'and I often doubt that Wesley's sanity, not to mention his grooming habits, are all they should be for that matter, so I would hope not to have to face either scenario' she responded truthfully.

'So we need to find her a dating agency that offers sane, well-groomed, non-jerky Demi-God's that don't object to playing second-fiddle to strong-willed feminist Slayer/Old-One cross-breeds?' Buffy stated. 'Tall order' she noted.

Illyria sighed. 'It may be a _very_ long time before I have grandchildren' she agreed.

'Must be nice to be immortal so that's not a problem' Buffy responded.

'Doesn't suck' Illyria agreed.

Buffy decided she needed to talk to Illyria more often, she wasn't really as bad as the image she projected and it wasn't like she could help being who she was. For her part meanwhile Illyria was pleased that she had successfully established plausible deniability if accused of being instrumental in causing a future schism between Dawn and Buffy, after all she had tried to keep them together right?

Like the effectiveness of their way of war, sneakiness was another valuable lesson that humanity had taught the Shaper-of-Things.

**Warehouse District – Cleveland – September 2004**

Stephen replaced the telephone receiver and turned to face Kennedy. 'Bad news?' she asked.

'The worst' Stephen replied with a grimace. 'That was Giles on the phone' he told her.

'Apocalypse?' Kennedy asked hopefully. She still hadn't got to use her scythe on anything truly deserving of its attentions, merely a steady stream of vampires and lesser demons attracted to the hellmouth.

'Oh Dear God no, I wish it was' Stephen responded glumly.

Kennedy frowned, this sounded bad. 'Has someone died?' she asked nervously.

'Nothing so trivial' Stephen replied. 'Andrew passed the Watchers Exam Giles set for him.'

Kennedy's jaw dropped and then she started laughing. 'You're kidding?' she asked. 'Hang on, why are you pissed about it?' she asked. 'Think it lowers the standing of the profession or something?'

Stephen sighed. 'Well he is a _serious _nerd and hardly projects gravitas' he replied, 'but that's not actually the disquieting issue at hand' he told her.

'So what is?' Kennedy asked in confusion.

'Giles thinks it would be a useful learning experience if Andrew was sent to shadow another watcher for a few weeks to learn the trade as it were' Stephen said, giving Kennedy a meaningful look.

'Oh Dear God no!' Kennedy responded in horror.

'Indeed' Stephen agreed wholeheartedly. 'Apparently Giles considers that as Head Watcher his job doesn't have enough field time, Wesley sets too bad an example, especially given that he is currently screwing his slayer, and the Old Boys at the London Office are_ too_ old' Stephen explained.

'So _we_ get him' Kennedy groaned, 'for _how_ long?' she verified.

'At least a month' Stephen told her. 'I suppose he is a pleasant, endearing sort of bloke really' he continued attempting to strike an up-beat note on the situation.

'In small doses maybe' Kennedy responded. 'A whole _month_?' she asked aghast.

'Minimum' Stephen replied.

'But he's _your _responsibility right?' Kennedy checked, giving him a serious look.

Stephen narrowed his eyes. 'I always back _you_ up with slayer issues that are _your_ responsibility, you treacherous weaselette' he fired back, pre-empting where _that_ question was clearly leading.

Kennedy had to nod. 'I suppose you do' she admitted. 'Well _most_ of the time' she added.

'Take that as an indication that I think you're_ right_ most of the time' Stephen replied. 'I don't support you on the occasions you're clearly wrong' he said. 'You need counsel not a cheerleader.'

Kennedy held up her hands in mock surrender. 'Alright alright, I'll help you deal with Andrew' she agreed. 'I suppose getting him hurt on his first patrol so he spends the whole month in a Hospital would look suspicious right?' she queried.

'They'd never buy it' Stephen replied regretfully. 'And if we accidentally got him killed we'd never hear the end of it.'

'I guess we'll just have to cope as best we can' Kennedy said with resignation.

'Burden of rank' Stephen agreed. 'By which I mean enough rank to have responsibility but not enough to be able to delegate it to someone else' he noted. 'There is one positive side however' he said.

'Which is?' Kennedy asked.

'If he turns out good enough to be a real watcher he could take over here for a while so I could spend some time in LA with Emily' he said brightly.

Kennedy blinked. 'I thought you liked me' she said. 'You'd leave me with Andrew as my watcher?' she moaned.

'Girlfriend outweighs friend who happens to be a girl' Stephen replied. 'Sorry' he apologised.

Kennedy scratched her nose. 'Couldn't you just start screwing one of the girls here instead?' she asked tongue-in-cheek. 'I wouldn't tell Giles or Buffy' she continued. 'Wes set the precedent right?'

'That would go against the archaic code of chivalry and morality I try to live by' Stephen replied with a smirk.

'How about we just buy you a horse and a suit of armour instead?' Kennedy suggested. 'It would come with a free Maiden-Fair' she continued, 'maybe two?' she offered. 'Unless you want a chick with more experience that is?' she queried deadpan.

'Get thee behind me vile temptress' Stephen told her sternly.

'I'll throw in a new sword' Kennedy offered enticingly, sweetening the deal.

'Hmmm' Stephen responded rubbing his chin, 'Okay, you've got my attention' he told her.

'Four feet long and shiny' Kennedy told him, '_v__ery_ shiny.'

Stephen pursed his lips considering the offer. 'No' he said, 'Apparently, and contrary to popular belief, I _do_ love Emily more than my sword' he responded.

'You sound surprised at that yourself' Kennedy told him.

'Well there's always been _some_ doubt' Stephen admitted, trying not to laugh.

Kennedy grinned. 'You know I _could_ take leave when you do, and we could leave Shannon to deal with him instead' she considered.

'_Now_ you're thinking' Stephen replied, miming a round of applause.

'The responsibility would be good for her development' Kennedy reasoned.

'True but try not to smirk like that when you tell her' Stephen advised.

'I'll practice in the mirror' Kennedy said.

Stephen frowned. 'We're not good influences on each other you know' he opined.

'I know' Kennedy agreed.

**Hyperion Hotel – Los Angeles – ****September**** 2004**

The closest slayer to the doors locked them to prevent any badly timed entrances from visitors that might have been slightly perturbed to see a black vortex open up in the middle of the lobby three yards above the ground and Dawn placed her cellphone back to her ear. 'You're clear' she said loudly open the sound generated by the winds swirling around the portal shortly before a girl dropped through it screaming as she fell and crying out even louder when she hit the floor with a hefty thump.

A second quieter form, cellphone identical to Dawn's in its right hand dropped out through the portal which closed behind it, Enyo landing gracefully next to the first girl who was now lying prostrate on the lobby floor and moaning. Looking entirely human Enyo checked her watch, less than an hour from teleporting out at mission start to return, compared to all the time and effort her Mom had put into achieving the same goal a couple of alternate timelines ago it had been inordinately more efficient operation.

'Pretty accurate' Dawn noted. 'The portal I mean' she told Enyo the two of them putting away their cellphones.

'I had time to concentrate' Enyo explained, 'I only end up in badly approximate destinations when I have to teleport or open a portal in a hurry' she reminded her.

Dawn nodded. 'So this is the chick then?' she asked. 'Evil slayer number one?' she queried, walking over. 'Doesn't look too tough' she opined.

'I've already tenderised her a little' Enyo replied with a smirk.

'Served rare too' Dawn replied, noting the blood on the girls face.

'If she doesn't play ball we might use her for flamethrower practice' Enyo nodded. 'Leave her well done' she suggested.

The girl on the floor started to cough. 'You'll pay for this' she choked out in a upper class English accent which made even Emily's cut-glass tones sound slightly unrefined to Dawn by comparison.

'Oh yeah, we're terrified' Dawn responded sarcastically. 'What are you going to do? Bleed on me?' she asked. 'You know we _could_ have picked you up months ago but Buffy wanted to make sure that the other changes to the timeline hadn't caused ripple-effect that stopped you being an evil stooge' she said. 'Well you _still_ turned out bad, our semi-domesticated vampire seer told us about it, so it was time to pick you up before you caused any trouble' she said. 'You're a bad little slayer aren't you? Yes you are? You are so a bad little slayer' she teased.

Giles stepped out from the office. 'That's enough Dawn' he said. 'Don't taunt the girl' he told her.

'Why? She can't hurt me can she?' Dawn responded nervously, taking a step back. There was talk of a warlock being involved too and magicks shouldn't be taken lightly.

'No it's just crass' Giles replied. 'It went well I take it?' he asked Enyo.

'Piece of cake' Enyo replied. 'They were expecting a slayer to turn up just not ...'

'_Your_ kind of slayer' Dawn interrupted.

'Right' Enyo agreed. 'I think I tipped my hand I wasn't the regular type when she broke her knuckles on my nose' she reasoned. 'Nice jab though, she'll be a useful recruit after she's been deprogrammed' she said. 'Or maybe _re_-programmed' she suggested.

The girl forced herself up off the floor onto her knees. 'Do you know who I am?' she asked in superior tones that were quite ill-advised considering the circumstances.

'A stuck up, selfish, self-centred bitch?' Dawn queried. 'Yeah we know, we've read the file' Dawn replied.

Giles sighed. 'Let us attempt _some_ decorum ladies please' he requested. 'Perhaps I should issue a formal introduction' he suggested. 'Ladies may I introduce Lady Genevieve Savidge, rogue slayer and society miscreant' he began, raising his voice so everyone could hear, there being the usual smattering of other slayers around looking on curiously.

'Peasants' the girl hissed, turning her bloodied face to glare around the room. More than a few gave her the finger in return, there was nothing worse than a turncoat slayer, evil traitorous bitch.

'Perhaps in some cases that analysis of our social background may be true, compared to your distinguished family line anyway' Giles admitted, 'though perhaps I should note that your captor here is...'

'A petty thug who kidnapped me whilst I was out walking the grounds of my family estate' the girl declared. The sheer_ impudence _of it, there she was enjoying the night air when some oafish barbarian appeared and after a struggle and fisticuffs used some kind of spell or something to open a portal before picking her up and throwing her bodily through it.

'... The God-Princess Enyo, Daughter of Berith Lord of the Covenant and Illyria God-King of the Primordium' Giles continued, ignoring her.

'I can cite by name noble ancestors that predate the evolution of flowering plants if you want to talk ancient distinguished families' Enyo told her seriously, though with clear amusement. 'Admittedly their main distinguishing feature was a predilection for bloody conquest but I'm sure you could say the same for a hell of a lot of aristocratic families' she continued, shifting her accent from her usual Californian with a tiny hint of Boston to her father's clipped Home-Counties English which wasn't _vastly _removed from the girls own.

'You cannot hold me against my will' the girl declared, hauling herself to her feet despite the pain from her injuries. She had put up quite a struggle to the point at which Enyo was considering applying some real force instead of lightly battering the girl into compliance.

'If you're a betting woman I'm heir to inherit a huge Temple I'll put up against that very nice estate I dragged you out from' Enyo replied, 'because we _can_ you know' she stated with a grin.

'She probably expects that warlock to come rescue her or something' Dawn theorised.

'That doesn't seem too likely' Enyo responded with a slight but definite cringe.

Giles narrowed his eyes. 'I believe the plan was that you were only supposed to warn him and through him the organisation he is affiliated with?' he said. 'Would I be correct in assuming from your reaction that you overstepped the mark there?' he asked rhetorically. He had questioned the desirability of using the "Slayer-God" in the field unaccompanied but this particular mission was one she was well suited to given the nature of the opposition. Neither slayers nor but the most powerful of mages were any kind of threat to her whatsoever.

Enyo looked guilty. 'Well they'll _definitely_ take it as a warning' she replied.

'You killed him didn't you?' Dawn asked chidingly.

'Well I wasn't _going_ to' Enyo said sheepishly, 'I confronted him and gave him the warning but I don't think he took me seriously, and he really shouldn't have used the exact words he did because it was like destiny or something.'

Giles crossed his arms. 'Do tell' he requested.

Despite the embarrassment of technical failure Enyo couldn't help the hint of a smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. 'Well I told him the Council knew about him, and Twilight, and the girl and that if he didn't make himself scarce we'd make him regret it, and I guess he thought I was just an ordinary slayer and his magicks made him stronger than me, because he sort of laughed in response and told me to "give it your best shot".'

Giles blinked. 'Ah' he responded nodding. You shouldn't tempt fate, sometimes it's got a wicked sense of humour.

'I think he had just enough time to realise his mistake before I put my fist clean through his skull' Enyo said. 'I transformed mid-swing' she explained. She was willing to bet it looked unbelievably cool too.

'Destiny?' Dawn queried.

'Illyria told the _best_ bedtime stories when I was a little girl, much better than Mom or Dads' Enyo explained. 'I'll tell you the one with her and Cyvus Vale later on' she said.

The girl collapsed back to the floor. 'Roden' she said aghast as the news sank in.

Enyo pursed her lips. 'Sorry to break it to you like that' she apologised. 'If you want a keepsake I think I've still got some of his brains on the edge of my sleeve' she offered holding up her right arm to show her.

'Considerate' Dawn told Enyo.

'No need to be callous about it' Enyo agreed.

* * *

**_Note from the Author:_**

_This Fanfic runs on reviews_


	9. Chapter 9

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****NINE**

**Hyperion Hotel – Los Angeles – September 2004**

'Do we have to do this right now?' Wesley protested as he walked alongside Faith straightening his tie as they headed down the corridor.

'Yes' Faith told him. 'Andrew is leaving for Cleveland tomorrow and he's supposed to be the one who takes the best photographs, some shit about having an eye for composition.'

'Just because someone has what they call an artistic temperament does _not_ mean they have any artistic ability' Wesley replied then rubbed his chin. 'And I can't believe she got me to shave' he said glumly. 'I look twelve.'

Faith couldn't help but nod her agreement. 'Yeah between that and the suit you don't score so high on my looking-good-o-meter' she said. 'At least your haircut is better than it was when we first met and that suit doesn't look like you stole it from a New Orleans pimp.'

Wesley threw her a look then smiled. 'I got it thrown in free with the pearl-handled revolver and the switchblade' he told her.

'Knew there had to be a reason because nobody in their right mind would have bought anything that looked like that' Faith told him as he held open a door for her.

Andrew was already setting up his camera on its tripod and checking the light. The sunlight coming through the window should be at the perfect angle any time soon he decided as he centred on the single chair up near the back wall of the room they normally used as an infirmary. It was currently unoccupied and the walls had been painted white which made them a good backdrop. He ignored the new arrivals and continued to work unlike the other two already present. 'You are very nearly late' Illyria stated. 'Enyo was going to come looking for you' she told them.

'Wes had to try and figure out how to use a razor' Faith joked. 'Tried holding it like a sword and nearly cut his nose off' she joked. 'I like the dresses' she told both of them. She was wearing one herself and was feeling uncomfortable about it. Illyria had that skinny fashion model thing going for her and often dressed this way, or rather morphed her form so it _looked_ like she was wearing a dress and not her battle armour.

'You look good too Mom' Enyo told Faith. 'Maybe you could try dressing that way more often' she suggested.

'Ain't going to happen' Faith told her. 'I've found my look and I'm sticking by it' she continued, 'like your Dad here should.'

'He _does_ look better unshaven' Illyria agreed looking him over. She suspected the shell might have preferred him in a suit but she much preferred her Consort to look dangerous, it made associating with him somehow less embarrassing. It was similar in a way to her approval of his ruthlessness and ability to do extremely unpleasant things to people without too many qualms, he was at his most attractive when he was behaving in ways others of his species might consider sociopathic.

'Yeah but he's less scratchy' Faith responded, reaching out and stroking his cheek. 'But now I've seen it I'll stick with the scratchy.'

'I look twelve' Wesley complained again.

'You look more like my Dad now' Enyo told him, 'only without the grey hair' she added. 'Thanks for doing this all of you I know it sounds stupid but I just wanted a picture of all of us together' she said with a beaming smile.

'Do you want to take your positions?' Andrew asked. 'I've already explained to Enyo what those are' he continued.

'Okay right' Enyo responded moving over to the chair and sitting down. 'Dad you stand behind me, Mom to the left Mother to the right.'

'Never thought I'd be in a family portrait' Faith noted as she position herself as she was told.

'Not exactly that conventional a family' Wesley noted as he did likewise. 'I think I'll send a print to my Father' he said. 'And one to my Mum that might not end up in the bin.'

'You need to get closer' Andrew spoke up, looking through the camera. 'Illyria, Faith put one hand on Enyo's shoulder and the other around my fellow watcher.'

'You're still not officially a watcher Andrew' Wesley pointed out as Illyria and a slightly reluctant Faith did as they were instructed, moving closer in.

'I passed the test' Andrew replied.

'So did I, with much higher grades than you, and I was a _useless_ field man until I learned some important lessons you can't glean from a book' Wesley told him.

'He was' Faith agreed, 'useless I mean.'

'I find that difficult to believe' Illyria said.

'Well he might have been some use in the sack, if not with a stake, but hot to look at he _wasn't_ so I never got a yearning to find out' Faith replied.

'It's not like I would have abused my position as your watcher in any case Faith' Wesley responded.

'Oh yeah like I couldn't have bagged you if I'd tried' Faith retorted confidently. 'It would have been like a deer caught in the headlights.'

'Relationships between Watcher and Slayer of that kind are expressly prohibited in the handbook' Andrew stated, 'including the new revised addition.'

'I am despondent with guilt about that every day' Wesley replied with a smirk.

'Sometimes several times a day depending on whether Blue's borrowed him instead' Faith joked.

'Mom _please_' Enyo protested.

'Aw grow up' Faith told her with a grin.

'I do not "borrow" My Wesley' Illyria stated with mild annoyance, mild for her anyway. 'I permit him to continue his dalliances with _you_.'

'You're both right' Wesley spoke up.

'Way to sit on the fence there Wes' Faith told him.

'It might be uncomfortable but it's better than the alternative' Wesley replied with a chuckle.

Enyo turned in her chair and gave both Illyria and Faith in turn a look that even caused Illyria to break eye contact. 'We are going to be a loving, supportive family who are nice to each other if I have to regularly kick both your asses to do it' she told them. 'And don't think I can't because you know the genes I'm carrying.'

Faith blinked. 'So which of us do you think she gets that scary vibe from?' she asked.

'Well you _both_ frighten me so it could be either of you' Wesley observed.

'You scare plenty of people yourself' Andrew told him. 'Okay big smiles' he ordered.

They all struck the best pose they could as Andrew fired off a few snaps. 'Can we have one of me and Rebecca?' Faith asked. 'Lose the red streaks okay' she told the girl who shifted her hair colour to completely brown in response.

'I also want a picture of myself and Enyo in our natural hue' Illyria said as she and Wesley got out of the way.

'I'll take copies of both of those' Wesley told Andrew, 'might as well start a photo album' he said as Faith and her time-travelling half-demon daughter struck an affectionate pose together for Andrew to record for posterity.

'We should do more things together as a family' Illyria declared. 'Perhaps we could portal to a hell dimension and slaughter some vermin?' she suggested.

'The family that slays together stays together?' Wesley queried with a smile.

'Not my idea of a good vacation' Faith announced. 'Not so much into the random slaughter these days.'

Illyria scowled at Faith. 'You should be setting a better example to our daughter' she declared.

'Never thought I'd be the one sitting on someone's shoulder giving the good advice as opposed to the evil' Faith said in mild disbelief.

'So if Illyria is the evil voice, and Faith is the good what are you?' Andrew asked Wesley curiously.

'I remain unaffiliated' Wesley told him.

**Mansion – North ****Pylea**** – September 2004**

Cordelia waved away the human maid that had dashed in to help her straighten her tiara and doing it herself checked her reflection in the mirror, or at least she did after managing to oust Harmony from out of the way. 'I'm running late Harm' Cordelia told the vampire.

'So?' Harmony asked. 'You're the Princess right?' she pointed out, still trying to catch her own reflection in the glass. Between that and the not burning up in the sun Harmony _loved_ Pylea and planned to make it a regular vacation spot, it was too primitive to consider moving here permanently.

'Punctuality is the politeness of Kings' Cordelia told her. 'If you're going to sit in on my meeting with the new Privy Council again you have to promise to be quiet' she told Harmony. 'And not fall asleep like you did yesterday.'

'I might just go for a walk in the grounds' Harmony replied. 'It was really boring before.'

'Fine you go do that' Cordelia told her with relief. It had been so embarrassing when Harmony started snoring while the new representative from one of the Eastern provinces had been making a proposal to break up the estates there belonging to those loyal to Narwek who had headed south and give the land to those who had been rendered destitute by the occupation.

Harmony smiled. 'I've got a date tonight' she said.

'You mean you're screwing that mercenary again?' Cordelia asked heading towards the door of her rather grand chambers. The Mansion was the largest and architecturally ornate in the north and since the former owner had been put up against a wall and shot by the PDF for collaboration shortly before the armistice it had been requisitioned as her Royal Palace and the temporary seat of government.

'No' Harmony denied, 'well maybe afterwards' she admitted, 'we're going to meet by the lake and have a picnic under the stars' she said. 'He's romantic.'

'He fights wars for money and he swears more than anyone else I've ever met' Cordelia replied, 'and I know _Faith_' she added for emphasis as one of the servants opened a door for her and they headed towards the large dining room that was being used as the Council Chambers. A series of Pylean Defence Force guards lined up along the corridor bringing rifles to salute as she passed, it all made her feel very important. 'I thought he was down at the border anyway?'

'He's driving back this afternoon' Harmony explained. 'So are you going to com-shuk the Groo?' she asked.

'Harmony!' Cordelia responded sharply. One of the servants looked shocked but the closest PDF soldier, a demon from one of the minor indigenous clans started making the sound that indicated sniggering amongst his people instead.

'Well it's been a while since you had a good com-shuk is all I'm saying' Harmony advised her friend.

Cordelia couldn't help but agree but this wasn't the sort of conversation you should be having in front of the staff let alone the common soldiery. 'Harmony go and enjoy yourself I'll see you later' she said.

'Can I eat one of your servants?' Harmony asked hopefully, 'they belong to you right?'

'No you can't and no they don't' Cordelia replied. 'There's no slavery here, not any more, they work here because they're paid.'

Harmony sighed. 'You can't get otter or even vole to spice up the animal blood here' she said dejectedly. Next time she was bringing her own food from home. 'See you later Cordy' she said as the Princess reached the huge oak double doors which were opened for her as she stepped inside, her Councillors including the Groosalug standing for her arrival.

'Please retake your seats gentlemen' Cordelia told them as she headed for her own at the head of the long table. 'I apologise for my lateness' she added sitting down on the chair that a servant pulled out for her.

'No apology necessary Highness' one of the Council told her, 'we are as ever at your service and command.'

'As I consider myself in the service of my subjects' Cordelia replied giving a slight bow to the Council. Around half of them were wearing PDF uniforms and there was ongoing friction between them and those who had not joined the fight, preferring to see which way the tide was flowing before taking a side. A couple of them had even been involved in the coup that overthrew the Groosalug in favour of the Republic which Narwek and his Wolf, Ram and Hart allies had overthrown in turn. 'First order of business is the continuing flow of refugees from the South' she stated. 'Is there any sign of that slackening as yet?'

'None whatsoever Princess' one of the PDF Officers replied, 'if anything the number crossing into our territory increases day by day' he continued. 'Unless we see a huge drop-off soon by the time the border is sealed we will likely have nearly two thirds of the population of Pylea on our territory.'

'Can we even feed so many?' one of the others questioned nervously. 'Should we not consider closing the border early?'

'We are not leaving any true Pyleans to the mercy of the scum in the South' another responded angrily. 'Better we all go a little hungry.'

'It may not come to that in any case' the Groosalug told them. 'New food crops from Earth have been arriving in volume and they give far larger yields that native Pylean grains and vegetables once we open up new farmland to the plough.'

'And until harvest time?' the one that had suggested closing the border asked.

'We have sufficient stocks to tide us over if we add in ration packs and grain portalled from Earth' Groo noted. 'Though I had hoped to never have to eat another MRE' he added with distaste.

'Some of the people will not appreciate a diet that is likely to be low in meat for some time' one of the council noted, 'there are several large herds of Bur-Beasts which could be culled for food' he suggested. 'Our new weapons would make hunting them far less risky.'

'How large are these herds?' Cordelia queried. She had heard of the animals before from Groo.

'Sometimes tens of thousands strong Highness' she was told.

Cordelia looked thoughtful. 'I don't want them to go the way of the Buffalo' she said. 'Don't overhunt the species' she said.

'Buffalo?' one of the others queried.

'An animal of Earth hunted almost to extinction for its meat and hides' Groo explained to the room.

'And to starve out the Indians' Cordelia added. 'What does it taste like?' she asked. 'Bur-Beast I mean?'

'Chicken' Groo answered.

Cordelia nodded. 'Don't know why I even bothered to ask' she said.

**Hyperion Hotel – Los Angeles – ****September**** 2004**

Enyo looked up at the stars. 'I miss sleep sometimes' she told Illyria. 'Well dreams anyway' she explained further as they lay side by side on the roof long after most everyone else had gone to sleep.

'I miss nightmares' Illyria replied. 'They were not the pale shadow of themselves they are in this era' she said wistfully. 'I never needed to sleep though' she said. 'Do you know the names of the constellations?' she asked. 'My Wesley taught me, they had moved since my era.'

'Dad taught me too' Enyo replied with a smile. 'I can't imagine being as old as you, to be from so long ago the stars have moved in the sky.'

'As an immortal of my line you may well live long enough to witness it yourself' Illyria told her. 'Though the day being longer now than in my time is far more difficult to cope with' she said, 'it increases my sense of dislocation.'

'I'm going to miss Mom and Dad when they die' Enyo remarked. 'I mean I've got another couple of decades with them now but they'll be gone and then I'll miss them forever.'

'As I will Wesley' Illyria noted. 'I have considered arranging for him to be turned into a vampire and have his soul put back but I suspect he would be hostile to the notion.'

Enyo nodded. 'Oh yeah Dad would be pissed if he woke up one morning wanting blood with his cornflakes' she agreed. 'Nice idea though.'

'The Wolf, Ram and Hart have the ability to make their people immortal though still largely human such as Eve, I hope to be in a position to either learn their methods or else force them into making My Wesley immortal themselves' Illyria told her daughter.

'Yeah you tried that before' Enyo replied. 'Didn't work out, they kept breaking their word no matter how many of their minions ended up with broken limbs and vertebrae in return.'

'If you can detail what plans failed I will formulate new ones' Illyria told her.

'Okay but if it works you have to do Mom as well' Enyo told her.

Illyria frowned. 'Outliving her was going to be my ultimate revenge for attempting to steal my Consort' she stated. 'Prior to that watching her age and lose her physical attractiveness whilst I kept my youthful appearance was going to be sweet' she said.

'You know you really _should_ be nicer to Mom' Enyo responded.

'You are blinded by your human side and love for your parent' Illyria told her.

'No I mean for your own advantage' Enyo told her. 'You must realise that she is the only one that many of the slayers could conceive of as a replacement for Buffy if that becomes necessary' she said. 'The only other_ true_ Chosen One.'

'You seek to aggrandise yourself by placing your human mother in the position of power?' Illyria queried, not that she had a problem with that in principle, nepotism wasn't considered a bad thing in her era of course you should seek to promote those of your bloodline.

Enyo shook her head. 'Where I came from Buffy's constant prevarication and unwillingness to do the right thing until the very last moment cost untold lives, she's _got_ to go' she opined forcefully.

'I see her value as a widely respected and well-known figurehead making it worthwhile to keep her, whilst using the new elected council and referenda to reduce her ability to dictate policy' Illyria argued. 'Simply removing her from the equation could have unforeseen and dire consequences, better to sideline her rather than eliminate her.'

'We'll have to agree to differ, you didn't live through what I did' Enyo said in response. 'She's not the right person to run a war, shit put her under enough pressure or stress in a situation she can't handle and she's practically catatonic' she maintained. 'I've seen it and I was told it wasn't the first time.'

'You will not undertake any actions in regards to Buffy without my order or sanction' Illyria commanded.

Enyo shrugged. 'I'm hoping you'll see the light before I have to' she replied, 'but I am at your service Mother' she continued, bowing her head. 'I will of course assist in your political machinations.'

'Of course I would expect no less' Illyria replied.

'In that light you would still be as well to have an amicable relationship with Mom' Enyo told her. 'Factions are already developing within the organisation and many would likely align themselves with Faith in the event of a schism' she maintained. 'Buffy is not as well liked as Mom in various quarters.'

'Faith is certainly a figure that some slayers chose to model themselves upon' Illyria couldn't help but agree. 'The more headstrong and rebellious in temperament regard her as a more attractive role model than Buffy.'

Enyo nodded. 'An unexploited power-base' she noted. 'Dad has one of those too.'

'The Gunslayers' Illyria agreed again. 'Most of their Senior Ranks including Vi were initially trained in firearms by Wesley and look to him rather than Buffy or Giles' she said. 'The others would follow their lead, especially given that their experiences in Pylea means they correctly regard the more traditional methods and errantly half-measure philosophies propounded by the Old Guard as suicidally misplaced.'

'Deal Knox and Fred in on our side and they're pretty much the entire Science department, Glory is your vassal which gives us all three Gods and the only other assets that really matter are Dawn and Willow' Enyo pointed out. 'We can both open portals without Dawn and there are other witches' she continued. 'The balance of forces only favours Buffy in pure numerical terms, in reality she is at a huge disadvantage.'

'I am not planning a coup or rebellion and I do not wish _you_ to arrange one either' Illyria told her sternly. 'However you are correct that a strong power-base that united several factions and key individuals would make for a useful counterbalance to Buffy and her cohorts.'

'Right' Enyo agreed, she'd work on the Buffy problem again later. 'So you need to be nicer to Mom' she maintained.

Illyria narrowed her eyes. 'Are you trying to manipulate me?' she asked.

'No I'm _succeeding_' Enyo replied. 'Merely _trying_ is for mortals.'

'Good girl' Illyria replied. 'Don't make a habit of it unless you want to suffer the same fate as the one you are named for' she warned.

'You'd notice, it's too risky' Enyo responded. 'I wouldn't try it on Dad too often either.'

'And Faith?' Illyria queried.

'Oh all the time' Enyo admitted. 'her judgement isn't great sometimes so I try and steer her the right way. I love Mom but she badly needs looking after.'

'Most humans do' Illyria concurred. 'Sometimes I think that the Higher Powers that chose a paternalistic attitude to the species may have been onto something' she said. 'On the other hand their free-will, inventiveness and occasional seeming lapses of collective sanity has made them far more powerful than I would have ever believed possible of a weak, short-lived biped with bad eyesight.'

'You once told me that humanity didn't need to be restrained, merely unleashed in the right direction' Enyo told her. 'All they lacked was leadership with long-term vision.'

'They'll get it when they're ready for it' Illyria told her. 'One day they will come to me and beg me to save them.'

'The once and future God-King?' Enyo asked with a smile.

'A prophecy I do _not_ plan to thwart' Illyria replied.

'You do realise that if you're Arthur that makes me Mordred?' Enyo asked.

'Naturally' Illyria agreed. 'Though we are both of us unbound by destiny, we can pick and choose our own.'

Enyo pursed her lips. 'And if we _do_ meet in battle at Camlann?'

'Pray to another deity of your choosing we do not because the Arthur of legend was a complete pussy compared to me' Illyria advised honestly.

'Remember that _I'm_ the one that can wield Excalibur not you Mother' Enyo told her with a wink.

'For your part bear in mind that though I may have taught you many of my secrets of war and single-combat, I am far too paranoid not to have kept the best tricks, tactics, schemes and strategies back for such an eventuality' Illyria told her. 'In any case we are _both_ too intelligent not to deal with Jasmine and the First Evil before we considered a struggle for dominance between us.'

'Defeating them could take centuries, millennia even' Enyo pointed out.

'I'm in no hurry to kill you' Illyria replied with one of her most superior smug expressions. 'We can keep each other company for an epoch or two.'

The God-Princess looked up at the stars again and then to Illyria. 'Want to make a bet on which one we'll see go out first?' she asked.

'That one' Illyria said, pointing up at the sky.

Enyo looked at the expanse of stars again, something's could even make a God feel insignificant. 'Hey I've got your eyesight remember and I can see that's a satellite' she complained. 'It'll burn up on re-entry in a few years.'

'Told you I was tricky' Illyria replied with a smirk.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_Sorry no chapter last week, real-life issues interfering with my writing schedule._

_Some news: The first story in the Compelled Series (Compelled to Play Again) has recently been nominated for awards on two separate BtVS/AtS Award sites, the "Fang Fetish Awards" (in categories Supernatural and Time Travel) and the "Shades of Grey Awards" (categories Gen Fic and Alternate Universe). You'll find links to the sites on my profile._


	10. Chapter 10

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

_Special thanks to my Beta Reader** pcody**_

**CHAPTER TEN**

**Parma**** – ****Cleveland**** – October 2004**

Stephen stopped walking along the relatively narrow side street and slowly turned around. 'Andrew why are you making that noise?' he asked.

'I never said a word' Andrew denied, standing underneath the pool of light cast by a streetlamp.

'The rattling sound' Stephen told him.

'Oh' Andrew responded sheepishly and opened his long coat to reveal an assortment of stakes, a pistol crossbow, three knives, one of which was a large Bowie, and a short sword.

Stephen took a deep breath. 'We're going to a bar, we're not going to stop an apocalypse' he said evenly.

'It's a _Demon_ Bar' Andrew noted seriously. 'You've got to be prepared if you're a watcher right?'

'That's the Boy Scouts' Stephen told him trying not to sound too sarcastic. 'As for being armed for visiting a bar, at most you carry a collapsible sword and a spring loaded stake on your other wrist' Stephen told him patiently, 'if you're expecting _serious_ trouble maybe a shotgun too.'

'I've got those as well' Andrew replied brightly, pulling back one sleeve then another to show the mechanisms. 'I put in a request for one of those pistol-grip pump-actions too but it didn't arrive yet' he added.

The younger, but probably wiser of the two watchers blinked, Andrew toting a shotgun was a deeply disturbing concept. 'From now on carry less gear' he advised. 'It makes you seem like an amateur' he told him, 'professionals value technique over equipment. 'And for the record the tweed isn't working for you' he added starting off again Andrew walking beside him. 'When we get in there try and look...' Stephen paused, 'Well try and look as intimidating as you can' he told him.

'I've been practising in the mirror' Andrew told him.

Stephen frowned, he thought he was the only person that did that but had no intention of admitting it to Andrew. 'We're not after trouble but the best way to avoid it is to look ready for it' he said. 'Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum' he quoted.

'If you want peace prepare for war, right?' Andrew translated.

Stephen nodded. 'You've been learning Latin then?'

'Most of the decent protection spells are in that or Sumerian and Sumerian is a lot harder' Andrew replied. 'So if we end up playing good cop bad cop with some slimy demon informant snitch can I be the bad cop?' he asked hopefully.

Stephen sighed. 'You know the opposition watch TV too' he replied. 'So that doesn't work very well in real life.'

Andrew nodded. 'Anya and Xander once did that to me after tying me to a chair' he revealed. 'She slapped me' he added, it had hurt too.

'I can understand that impulse' Stephen said under his breath, since he had arrived Andrew had proved extremely annoying. 'All we're doing is making our presence felt' he said more audibly. 'Some demons and others involved in supernatural activities shy away from Slayers and certainly won't talk to them. Watchers are only human so sometimes it's easier for us to get information without having to beat someone's head against the furnishings.'

'So we're always the good cop?' Andrew checked.

'Can we get away from that cliché now please?' Stephen requested with a sigh as they turned a corner into a back alley where some steps partially hidden in shadow led down to the bar. 'Just follow my lead' he advised as they made their way down the steps and he knocked on the door.

The door opened revealing a large heavily muscled demon acting as the doorman and bouncer for the bar. Easily a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier than Stephen the demon nonetheless broke eye contact first and stepped aside letting the two enter. 'Who's the new guy?' the demon asked.

'Watcher from out of town' Stephen replied, 'giving him the tour.'

'No slayers?' the demon queried, looking around cautiously.

Stephen shook his head. 'I know they're bad for business and as long as we don't hear bad things about the bad people in this place we won't interfere with trade' he replied reasonably. 'Who's playing tonight?' he asked hearing live Jazz music coming from the bar.

'Friends of the owner from over Chicago way' the demon answered, closing the door once they were out of the way. 'Piano player is a vampire, supposed to have hung with Bix Beiderbecke back in the day.'

Stephen raised his eyebrows impressed, he wasn't a huge jazz fan but he'd heard of the greats. 'He got warned that won't get him off the hook if he eats anybody right?' he checked.

'Boss told him this town was major Slayer territory' the demon replied. 'He knows the score' he confirmed.

'Good good' Stephen responded positively then led Andrew towards the music, a decent number of people were present, human and otherwise but they still managed to get a pair of stools by the bar because most were watching the band.

'It's a demon _jazz _bar?' Andrew asked quietly and clearly more than surprised about that.

'Blues too some nights' Stephen told him.

'We demon types like good music too' the Lister Demon tending bar interrupted. 'Just because some of the patrons don't have _a_ soul doesn't mean they don't have _soul_' he declared. 'New watcher?' he asked Stephen who nodded. 'Thought you were all Limeys?' he added, surprised at Andrews accent.

'The worldwide watcher shortage has lowered recruiting standards to include bloody colonials' Stephen replied with a half-smile. 'Two beers' he ordered, They wouldn't check his ID here and his fake one that said he was over 21 was a first-rate forgery anyhow.

'Yeah I heard it on the grapevine that most of you got blown up or something' the barman replied, starting to pour the first draft.

'And did you hear what happened to the bastards that did it too?' Stephen replied evenly.

'Way I hear it you stomped 'em good' the barman responded.

'Yes' Stephen told him. 'Yes we did' he affirmed, taking out his wallet and putting a bill on the bar. 'So we might as well get the formalities out of the way' he said. 'Have you heard anything else on the grapevine lately that you think might interest us?' he asked.

The barman smiled. 'Not recently' he replied putting a beer in front of Stephen then starting on filling the second.

'And you'd tell me if you had?' Stephen responded, with a chuckle.

'Oh yeah of course' the barman replied with a smirk.

'Good because I'd hate to think I was going to have to have a few girls come down here and nail you to this fine piece of polished hardwood for accidentally forgetting something you thought we should be made aware of' Stephen noted, reaching for his beer.

'What if he's spiked the drink?' Andrew asked.

'He's _got_ to be a rookie' the barman observed. 'I don't spike your drink because I don't want my head put _on_ a spike' he told Andrew. 'Everyone knows that the head slayer in this burg is some crazy, vicious, dyke bitch.'

'She is' Stephen agreed with a nod. 'And if you behave yourself I won't ever tell her you said that' he told the barman who had given Andrew his own beer and was now handing over the change.

The barman frowned then leaned closer. 'Okay, and I'm only telling you this because I'm no fans of the fuckers anyhow but guess who's supposed to be setting up shop the other side of the lake over Detroit way?' he asked rhetorically.

'We're listening' Andrew replied before Stephen could, this sounded intriguing he thought taking a sip of his beer and wondering if it would sound cool to ask for a whiskey chaser.

**Hyperion Hotel – ****Los Angeles**** – ****October**** 2004**

Giles looked down at the meeting agenda. 'Next item' he began, 'by the end of this month we should be starting the move to the new Shadow Valley Headquarters' he said. 'Soon after we plan to rotate some of the girls back from Pylea including Vi, whose stay there was extended due to operational requirements' he continued. 'Before Shadow Valley is fully up and running, her people will be taking up residence here in LA utilising the empty rooms' he said.

'I thought all the accommodation blocks would be ready by then?' Wesley queried. 'Why not have the girls coming back from Pylea go straight to the new facility?' he asked. 'I'm sure Angel here would relish the idea of getting his hotel back a touch sooner.'

'Would I' Angel responded affirmatively, happy thoughts of relative peace and quiet after nearly a year and a half of living with a horde of noisy teenage slayers nearly causing his soul to go AWOL again. Some were still intended to remain in LA to keep a close eye on Wolfram and Hart, but only a fraction of the numbers that currently occupied the hotel which was fine by him. Having Buffy out of the way would be nice too at another level, he might have been willing to accept that as Chief Slayer Buffy ranked higher in the anti-evil coalition than he but he had to admit to himself that sometimes it rankled that he wasn't master in his own house despite his attempts not to think like a man from the 18th Century.

'Buffy and myself believe that it would be better to take it slow and steady and run Shadow Valley up to speed gradually rather than all arrive at once and risk chaos' Giles replied to Wesley. 'Xander has done a sterling job getting it all finished but we would still like to make sure everything is running like clockwork before we completely settle in' he explained. 'For one thing Knox wants to ensure the computer widgets and the network or whatever it's called works as it's supposed to.'

'If the computers are clockwork we should have put more money into the IT budget' Willow couldn't resist joking.

'No Difference Engines' Fred responded with a giggle, 'but some of the backup hardware uses valves instead of microprocessors' she added. 'Much more resistant to EMP' she explained to the group. I mean the Electromagnetic Pulse you get from certain magicks or a nuclear blast' she explained further. 'It stops the whole system crashing while we reboot the mains and_ they're_ pretty darn hardened against EMP to start with anyway' she announced. 'Multiple redundancy on everything too' she added, not mentioning she had designed much of the system.

'Decent firewall I hope?' Wesley asked.

'Several' Fred replied, 'we've also got magical defences on the server room' she continued. 'Anybody unauthorised gets stopped by a little spell Willow cooked up, and I mean cooked.'

'It's a mystical wall of fire' Willow told them with a grin, 'I thought it was too cute not to do it' she said.

'So after dealing with the water filled moat and somehow getting into a bunker dug deep into the earth the intruders face fire' Giles noted. 'So are there any _air_ based defences to round off this elemental fortress?'

'Well other than the Surface_ to_ Air Missile battery that should keep any possible dragony threats away, in the event of a breach we can pump gas into the corridors through the ventilation system, the rooms themselves can be sealed air tight to protect our own people' Fred replied.

'What kind of gas?' Angel asked curiously.

'Something like vaporised orpheus in large concentrations would have an interesting effect on most species especially if you mixed in some 3-methyl fentanyl' Fred replied. 'The latter stuff is an analgesic supposedly a thousand times stronger than morphine, they think it's what the Russians pumped into that theatre a couple of years back to tranquilise the terrorists.'

'Didn't that also _kill _quite a few of the hostages?' Giles queried.

Fred nodded. 'It's still more humane than the other stuff we _could_ use' she said. 'Someone who looks a great deal like me suggested a mix of Sarin and Mustard Gas.'

'Knox has already sourced the required chemical feedstock for the production of both' Illyria announced.

'Did I, or did I _not_ make it quite clear' Buffy responded looking straight at the Old One, '_no_ Weapons of Mass Destruction?' she asked.

'He has not in fact manufactured any' Illyria replied evenly. 'If you forbade the baking of a cake it would not necessarily mean that having flour and other ingredients on hand to make one with at a later date was _also_ prohibited surely?' she asked Buffy.

Buffy narrowed her eyes. 'I want to talk to you after the meeting, something about the letter and the spirit of the law not _necessarily_ being the same thing' she told Illyria. 'And just for the record you haven't got a stockpile of uranium somewhere in case I change my policy on nuclear weapons have you?' she asked suspiciously.

'No' Illyria replied. 'We just cannot seem to be able to get hold of it in large enough quantities' she explained sadly.

'Good' Buffy replied as Illyria inwardly breathed a sigh of relief Buffy hadn't asked about plutonium instead. 'For those that haven't heard we're shipping that obstinate bitch Genevieve Savidge out to Pylea along with a couple of other new _volunteer_ gunslayers to replace Vi and some of the other returning girls' Buffy announced. 'We weren't getting anywhere with her and it was either that or stick her in Vahla ha'nesh.'

'Prison or the Army, a traditional choice for miscreants in time of war' Giles noted wryly.

Buffy nodded. 'The girls there are under orders to break her once and for all' she said. 'If that means breaking some parts of her literally that's fine, she'll heal anyway and if we can't get her onto the team we'll have to put her out of play permanently' she said. 'Next order of business?' she asked Giles.

Giles looked down at his notes again. 'After various delays we have_ finally_ secured the factory premises we were seeking in Guangzhou having given up on our earlier plans to site in Beijing or Shanghai, and plan to set up our in-house armaments production there' he said. 'Chao-Ahn has accepted the offer of becoming our Lead Slayer in China and is going to set up her Headquarters in the factory.'

'How's her English getting along?' Faith asked. 'Haven't seen her in a while' she said. There were so many slayers now it was damn hard to even keep track of the girls, even the ones who'd been with them fighting The First in Sunnydale and who had a certain cachet because of that.

'Better than my Cantonese fortunately' Giles replied. 'One of the retired Watchers currently based out of our Great Russell Street Offices in London is transferring to Guangzhou since he knows the area, and fortunately speaks both Cantonese and Mandarin fluently.'

'Surprised we had a watcher that knows the area' Buffy responded. She hadn't even heard of the place until recently though Giles told her it was one of the largest cities in China.

'He used to live in Hong Kong and run the Council's Asian sub-office from there until Britain gave the place back to China in 1997' Giles explained. 'Guangzhou is only a couple of hours away' he told her.

'God bless the Empire' Buffy replied earning a snort of derision from Angel. 'So I think we all know it's going to be a busy week for most of us' she declared, looking around the room. 'You ready for this Will?' she asked.

'Ready as I'll ever be I guess' Willow responded. 'I've got the spells ready and it's been our best opportunity for a while' she said. 'Having Enyo as backup helps.'

'Of course' Illyria said proudly.

'She's not great with the magicks but she makes a great decoy' Willow noted, 'hard to hit and if you _do_ hit her very hard to hurt' she continued.

'Fragile she ain't' Faith agreed. 'Try not to get her beat up any though' she asked, feeling the need to be protective of her somehow. 'I guess the question is are _you_ ready for your escape from the office B?' she asked Buffy.

'Looking forward to it' Buffy affirmed, in fact she had been more than pleased since they got the news from Stephen over in Cleveland and she had decided to handle it herself with a little volunteer help.

Faith crossed her arms. 'Next choice job like that comes up it's my turn okay?' she requested, making sure she put enough of an edge on the words to make it clear it wasn't so much of a _request_. 'You ain't the only one that doesn't get out to play enough anymore' she noted.

'Sounds fair' Buffy responded. 'It's going to be fun' she said brightly.

Angel stared into space, it was going to be something alright, he thought. Maybe not fun but sure as hell satisfying he decided.

**Abandoned Factory - Detroit – October 2004**

The Detroit Fire Department had been just a little too late to prevent the latest in a string of arson attempts that had sought to torch the building and it was in a ruinous state, blackened and dilapidated. It was a fine pseudo-apocalyptic setting for the Commanders Speech and had been chosen for that precise reason with the added bonus of being only a short distance to a nest of the mongrel scum whose very existence made him want to vomit.

'Purebred brothers' the Commander began, bringing the parade to rigid attention. 'Once again we stand ready to do our duty, follow our calling and live up to the name that causes dread in the hearts of the half-breed vermin that infest this city and the whole world' he said. 'Others may shirk their responsibilities, hide like scared children but not us' he told them proudly. 'While others cower underground, fearful of their own shadow we continue our crusade , never wavering, never faltering, always ready to fight and die for the cause because we know the cause is right and just' he declared. 'They call us extremists, labelling us fanatics' he said, 'but know this, they do so only to delude themselves' he declared, 'they do it to salve their own consciences of the knowledge that while they accommodate and adapt to a world plagued by humanity we never will' he continued, 'and know this in your heart, in truth they loathe themselves for lacking the courage to join us' he said. 'All true pure-bred demons, and even those half-breeds who still retain the glimmer of their heritage know that we _must_ wipe this world clean of all traces of vile humanity' he said, 'they know this and inwardly they _all_ wish for the courage to align themselves with our cause, to take sword in hand and cleanse this world, to join us and wear the uniform that tells all that see it who we are' he told them. 'Mark my words brothers, we are The Scourge and we will triumph!' he thundered.

After letting the cheering his words provoked die down the Commander smirked. 'There are those that say the world has changed, that humanity has become ascendant and demon-kind must adjust to being slaves.'

'No' a chorus of Scourge Soldiers called out.

'They do say this and by doing so they prove what we have been saying all along' the Commander told his troops, 'their cowardice, their lack of moral fibre demonstrates without doubt what contact with humanity has done to them' he explained, 'we must cleanse our people or else we can never regain our birthright, this world stolen from our ancestors and given to animals' he said. 'Our purity is our strength, it is the cornerstone upon which victory will surely come in the end' he told them. 'We _will_ triumph because of this _and_ because of our unity of purpose' he continued. 'Only as a strong disciplined unit can we hope to match the hordes of simpering human waste and their turncoat allies' the Commander announced. 'It is this unity of will that will lead us to victory and it is the clarity of our cause that will lead others to make it their own' he said confidently.

'Don't be stupid be a smarty, come and join the Nazi Party' a girl's voice interrupted from the back causing the Scourge Soldiers to spin around finding themselves looking at a young woman holding a red scythe standing a couple of paces in front of two older men wearing black leather, a jacket and a duster respectively. 'Nice uniforms' she told the group, 'do you wear Lederhosen on your days off or is the Waffen SS look just a work thing?' Buffy asked with a smirk.

'Slayer' the Commander growled.

'_Chief _Slayer' Buffy replied, 'you know you should be pretty pleased with your reputation' she told them. 'Not many warrant my personal attention' she said starting to rotate the scythe in front of her, spinning in by its handle like a baton.

'Bugger' Spike swore, 'when you said they dressed like something from the Third Reich I was hoping to score another of those Trenchcoats' he said with clear disappointment.

Angel looked at Spike askance. 'You're kidding?' he asked.

'No I loved that one I got on that submarine' Spike replied. 'Second favourite piece of clothing I ever had' he said.

'What the hell are you two talking about?' Buffy asked, clearly annoyed by the chatter.

'Long story, we'll tell you about it on the flight back to LA' Angel replied. 'I want the guy in charge' he told Buffy in a tone that made sure it wasn't up for discussion. These assholes had killed Doyle, it wasn't redemption he was fighting for this time, it was pure vengeance and he didn't care one little bit about that.

Buffy nodded. 'He's all yours' she agreed. 'Plenty more to go around' she noted. 'Hey maybe I should make introductions, 'Angel, Spike meet the Scourge, Scourge prepare to meet your maker' she said with a smile.

'Angel' the Scourge Leader repeated. 'You were the one that murdered Commander Tiernan' he said causing the soldiers to tense even more.

'Murder?' Angel responded. 'More like justice' he said. 'You know like at Nuremburg when they gave the other evil pricks that thought the way you do the long drop and the sudden stop' he continued. Spike taking the cue to mime being hung. 'You must have heard of Nuremburg right?' he asked. 'Looks like you'd have fitted right into a rally there a few years earlier.'

'Yeah what is it with the uniforms?' Buffy queried. 'We've been wondering why a group that hates humans so much would model themselves on them?' she asked. 'I mean not exactly humanity in its best light but still?'

'It's the look I'd bet' Angel theorised. 'Hugo Boss designed the uniforms for the SS you know.'

'What?' Buffy responded incredulously.

'Cordelia told me that once when we were talking about the Scourge' Angel replied. 'I don't think it's something the company likes to advertise much.'

Spike nodded. 'Having "By Appointment to Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler" on the stationary probably wouldn't help sales' he reasoned.

'One slayer and two half-breeds' the Commander said dismissively. 'There are two full platoons here' he noted. 'You prove the inferiority of your human blood by seeking such an uneven contest' he declared with a widening grin.

'You only think that because you don't know the whole story chuckles' Angel replied. 'Firstly until you've seen what Buffy here can do with that scythe you shouldn't be making assumptions' he said. 'Secondly we've got more than one slayer, and more than one scythe' he continued.

'Howdy' another girl introduced herself brightly holding a scythe of her own. 'The other two girls are watching the exits in case any try to escape Chief' she told Buffy.

'Itching to try out your new scythe Shannon?' Buffy asked. It had only been given to her the previous week as the Guardian continued to enchant the weapons, and it had been her turn to be issued one. Only an hour away from Cleveland by plane Kennedy had sent her second-in-command and two other girls to backup Buffy if she needed it. The Great Lakes region was pretty much considered part of Kennedy's turf these days as the heavily suppressed demon activity on the Hellmouth freed up her people for excursions to nearby towns.

'Sure am' Shannon confirmed enthusiastically. She had borrowed Kennedy's plenty of times but it felt different having your own and these Scourge jerks were ideal to baptise it in some blood.

'And _thirdly_' Angel continued. 'We might just be half-breed vampires but we've got an edge' he told the Commander.

'Gems of Amarra mate' Spike stated holding up his right hand to reveal a gaudy ring. 'Stakes, sunlight, Holy Water, none of that works' he announced as Angel raised his own hand to show an identical ring. He didn't wear his all the time like Spike seemed to these days hence his increasingly tanned skin, but it was moments like these when he was glad he hadn't smashed it like the last one. Taking Nina, her sister and niece out to lunch the week before had been pretty nice too, his girlfriends family _had_ been vocally wondering why they rarely met him and only ever at night. Spike reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of brass knuckles, spiked of course, which he put on the other hand. 'So are we going to give them a chance to surrender?' he asked.

Buffy looked to Angel and took note of the expression on his face, cold hard rage was what she read in his eyes. He hated the Scourge with a passion and that wasn't exactly a minority opinion, even other demons thought the same way. 'No' she said flatly. 'Kill 'em all, let the Powers-That-Be sort 'em out' she added.

'Bloody marvellous' Spike responded with a grin. 'You take the fifty on the right, I'll take the fifty on the left' he said happily, clenching a fist.

Angel produced a sword from inside his jacket. 'You're mine' he told the Commander pointing to him with it, there was something about the way he said it that reminded Spike a great deal of Angelus incidentally, not that he was criticising, you kill a blokes mate and he'll tend to hold a grudge for a while.

Shannon limbered up. 'Okay who wants some?' she challenged, raising her scythe.

The Scourge soldiers nervously looked around, there was something about the sheer confidence and enthusiasm of their foes which was disquieting to say the least. They waited for their Commander to give the order but he himself was less than happy about the way that half-breed, mongrel, vampire scum was looking at him and pointing that unpleasantly large sword his way.

'Just in case I'd better ask, have we got a plan?' Spike queried quietly.

'They die we live' Angel replied.

Spike nodded, it was still better than most of Buffy's plans at least he decided. 'Right then' he said. 'Let's get this party started' he declared and with a battle cry jumped straight at the nearest Scourge Soldier as Angel started sprinting at their commander.

For their part Buffy and Shannon just dived in and started swinging their scythes, it wasn't pretty, and the ash on the floor was quickly soaked in blood that splashed about like fountains, but getting stains on their nice crisp well-tailored uniforms was the last thing on the Scourgers minds, more often it was an agonised scream as they were dismembered.

Afterwards as Spike poured gasoline over the corpses preparing to torch the building once again, Angel tore off the Commanders insignia soaked in a little of the demons blood and put it in a plastic bag to give to Cordelia. Doyle might have been the first soldier down but his sacrifice wasn't in vain, the other side were the ones going to lose the war he had come to believe, it wasn't just trying to stop the inevitable anymore, no longer a matter of stopping the gears grinding down to apocalypse for a few moments, these days he thought in terms of victory not a glorious, and probably ultimately futile, noble end.

Buffy looked around at the dead demons and a thought occurred than made her grin. 'Springtime for Slayers and Humanity' she sang. 'Autumn for Demons and Vamps' she continued, then paused 'No offence' she added to Angel and Spike.

'None taken' Angel replied, putting the plastic bag in his pocket. One step closer to a cold dark unending winter for the other side he thought with a gentle smile.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_This fanfic runs on reviews... and yes I do like **The Producers** from Mel Brooks, both films (and presumably the Broadway Musical) are hilarious._

_Incidentally it's just occured to me that the Compelled Series reached a thousand reviews earlier this week (adding together those here and on TtH). I think that's kinda a neat milestone :-)_


	11. Chapter 11

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

_Special thanks to my Beta Reader** pcody**_

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**Hyperion Hotel – ****Los Angeles**** – October 2004**

Dawn followed Buffy along the corridor clutching a medieval manuscript which Giles had been nagging her to return for the last week. 'So let me get this straight you _knew_ that wiping out those Scourge creeps would mean they'd be coming for us?' she asked.

Buffy nodded. 'They're fanatics' she said. 'They don't stop coming just because you kill a few of them, they only take that as a challenge' she said. 'We needed to provoke them into action and now we probably have.'

'How many of them are there?' Dawn queried. There was tension between them but both were trying to make some effort to be cordial despite the bust-up over Connor. Buffy in particular had been making an effort, and Dawn had heard a rumour via Enyo that this was down to _Illyria_ of all people, or Gods, having a word.

'Nobody really knows' Buffy admitted. 'From what our sources say definitely hundreds maybe thousands worldwide, I guess we'll know for certain when they stop coming because we've killed them all' she reasoned. 'They're not stupid, they won't come at us piecemeal anyway.'

Dawn blinked. 'We're going to _kill_ them all?' she asked, surprised at Buffy's dispassionate tone when she said it.

'That or break their morale instead' Buffy replied. 'We've made sure everyone knows what happened in Detroit and where the Scourge can find us if they feel like evening the score' she continued. 'They're too organised, too committed and too damn fascist for us to let them exist' Buffy told her sister. 'They're nothing but a bunch of militaristic thugs who think they're the master race' she stated as they arrived at their destination and entered the hotel gym.

'_What makes the grass grow_?' a girl in uniform, laden with full combat gear and with rifle slung over her shoulder bellowed at the double rank of identically equipped girls.

'_Blood, blood, blood_' the gunslayers intoned as one, making Dawn nearly jump out of her skin.

The girl in front of the others noted Buffy's arrival and ordered them to attention, boots smacking together as they simultaneously obeyed the order. Identical automatons carrying automatic weapons was a thought that crossed Dawn's mind at first, though when she looked harder she noted there were some differences between them, their uniforms and kit personalised in some way. One had a broadsword tied to her backpack as well as her standard equipment, another wore a necklace of what Dawn hoped were _demon_ teeth and the one at the far end of the second row had "Chosen to Kill" written on the front of her helmet.

The helmets themselves were new, having only just arrived in time to miss being issued to the girls fighting in Pylea. They seemed to be a composite of several designs, the main body looked much like one of the modern Kevlar helmets worn by the US Army but it incorporated the "lobster-tail" at the back of a classic Roman Legionaries helmet which was designed to stop someone decapitating you from behind by shielding the back of the neck, and it had roman-style cheek-guards hanging down too. A clear visor made of bullet-proof polymer could be slid down in front of the eyes to protect them from damage when arrows or shrapnel was flying about. The girls seemed very positive about them, it beat the crap out of getting your brains ventilated, or your head chopped off anyhow.

'Carry on Jail... Charlotte' Buffy told the girl in front who ordered the others back to parade rest. What she was going to do about that nickname after she turned eighteen was a mystery, it had really caught on.

'We are at war!' Charlotte declared loudly and enthusiastically, 'Fucking A!' she added. 'War is what gunslayers pray for' she told the other girls. 'The Gods and Goddesses of war have answered our prayers and given us a new enemy to fight' she said seriously. 'We always knew they would' she said confidently, 'the Goddesses of War are wet for gunslayers, because we slay _everything_ we see, and in doing so we keep Hades well stocked with new souls' she told the girls.

Dawn looked at Buffy and raised her eyebrows, as for Buffy herself she was wondering if she'd accidentally walked into another Scourge meeting.

Charlotte looked over the troops. 'Now we were all hoping to be eventually rotated back to Pylea for another tour' she said, 'but then peace broke out and fucked everything up' she continued sadly, 'well that's behind us now, we've got a decent enemy to fight right here in our own backyard on Earth and we are going to conquer and we are going to kick ass' she declared to a chorus of excited whoops.

'Oh wow' Dawn whispered to Buffy. 'I thought I'd seen them gung-ho before but...'

'The Slayer-Chef herself here issued a declaration of war signed in their own blood which threw down the gauntlet to these pricks' Charlotte told the girls, indicating she had noted Buffy's arrival, 'and unless they're a bunch of candy-assed fagots we'll be seeing action soon.'

'I didn't _literally_ sign a declaration of war signed in blood' Buffy interrupted, 'that was just a metaphor when I told you above it' she explained.

'Oh' Charlotte replied with a frown, for a while there she'd been thinking the boss had seen the light and embraced a less wimpy attitude.

'Hang-on' Buffy said, narrowing her eyes. 'Does that mean that when I said I wanted the heads of the Scourge Officers you thought I meant _that_ literally too?'

'You didn't?' Charlotte asked in confusion. Yup definitely still the hippy peacenik Buffy of old she thought sadly. 'I was going to requisition an axe' she stated, their standard-issue short-swords were great for evisceration but weren't ideally suited for decapitation.

'No' Buffy replied, 'just kill them' she ordered.

'Check' Charlotte responded. 'If we get the opportunity to take prisoners do you want summary executions or keep them alive for interrogation?'

'Interrogation' Buffy replied. 'No firing squads.'

'We usually just put a single shot to the back of the head Ma'am' Charlotte replied. 'Saves money on ammunition, but if you want live ones you're the boss' she said.

Buffy nodded. There was a theory going around that the reason Charlotte was like this was that she still had a crush on the Merc Ashton, and tried to mimic him. This did beg the question to Buffy's mind that if she had a crush on Xander instead would she be showing an equal interest in drywall as opposed to the ways of war.

'You aren't expecting to need all that gear to fight the Scourge are you?' Dawn asked curiously. 'Aren't the machine-guns overkill?'

Biting back the urge to explain the difference between a machine-gun and an assault rifle or carbine Charlotte picked out one of the girls to respond. 'Gunslayer Stephanie would you care to explain overkill to Dawn here?' she asked.

'There is no overkill, there is only "open fire" and "I need to reload",' the girl responded.

Charlotte nodded. 'It's the gunslayer way, make up in firepower what we lack in personnel' she said. '_Forever__ outnumbered_' she called out suddenly and loudly.

'_Never outgunned_' the girls responded as one. Well it was better than "blood, blood, blood" Buffy thought to herself, she might see if she could get the outnumbered/outgunned thing adopted as their motto before they came up with something worse. Maybe Dawn could make herself useful for once and translate it into Latin?

**Barre**** Circle**** Neighbourhood**** – Baltimore –**** October**** 2004**

The knocking on the door was insistent enough that it took precedence over everything else including the cup of coffee her bleary eyes indicated was vitally needed. It was too damn early for visitors, this had better be good or someone was getting turned into a frog she thought as she opened the front door.

'Hi' the stranger at the door, a young woman greeted her. 'You must be Catherine Blaisdell?' she asked. 'Work over at Johns Hopkins as one of the admin staff?'

'Yeah?'

'AKA Amy Madison?' the stranger asked with a smirk. 'From Sunnydale?'

Amy blinked but decided to tough it out. 'No idea who you're talking about' she said.

'Oh come on is that the best you can do?' the girl asked with a grin. 'At least threaten me with some magicks or something.'

'Who are you?' Amy asked coldly. 'What do you want?'

'I'm just the messenger' the girl replied. 'As in "please don't shoot fireballs at the..." because it's not fair' she continued, getting a piece of paper out of her jacket pocket, it wasn't a warm day especially given the time of morning and she was wrapped up tight whereas Amy shivered slightly in her pyjamas. 'From the Chief Slayer to Amy Madison: Greetings' she began reading. 'You are hereby ordered for induction into the Mage Branch of the Slayers Council, and are to report for duty immediately' she finished and handed the piece of paper over. 'I can help you pack' she offered.

'_What_?' Amy responded incredulously.

'You just got drafted' the girl explained.

'I got _what_?' Amy repeated.

'Drafted, Conscripted, Called up for National Service is what they'd say back in the day' the girl explained. 'In short your ass now belongs to the Slayers Council' she said, 'welcome aboard.'

Amy looked at the piece of paper before scrunching it up and throwing it over her shoulder. 'I'm not going anywhere I don't want to go and I certainly not joining Buffy Summer's little army that I've been hearing about.'

The girl pursed her lips. 'If you don't come willingly we could always clap you in irons and call you a slave instead of a draftee' she said. 'You'd get more dignity as the latter and you wouldn't be the first one wearing a collar.'

'Who are you?' Amy queried.

'I'm a slayer' the girl replied honestly.

'Do I _look_ like a vampire or some piss-ant demon you can push around?' Amy asked, letting the whites of her eyes cloud over so they became jet black.

'Ooh scary' the girl responded with a grin, her own eyes shifting to an inhuman crystalline blue. 'I didn't say I was an _average_ slayer' she said and then releasing the damper she had on her magicks projected a serious aura which caught Amy off-guard, forcing her to project a mental shield of her own as she tried to sense the girls power and determine its strengths and focus.

After a few seconds it became apparent that focus was one thing the strange girl did _not_ have. She might have more raw power than Amy but she'd never be able to direct or utilise it properly, it was like a chaotic restless sea of undirected energy ridden by tidal forces from two separate directions. 'I don't know _what_ you are' Amy said, 'but if you try and take me by force I'm going to slam you through that wall' she vowed, pointing to the house across the street.

'It would hurt the wall more than me, but if you were going to resist it wasn't _my_ job to take you in' the girl responded.

'_Vincire_' another girls voice exclaimed behind Amy and a bolt of green energy slammed into her back, coalescing into a band around Amy's torso that pinned her arms to her sides and changing colour to a shimmering grey smoothly lifted her off the ground leaving her floating in her hallway unable to move or speak.

'_My_ job' the girl continued, 'was to distract you and make you close down that extra-sensory perception because of all the white-noise and interference I put out when I don't keep a lid on my magicks' she explained, giving Amy a gentle push that propelled her back from the door and stepping inside.

'Add in the mystical cloaking runes I spent all morning painting on and you didn't notice me teleporting in behind you' Willow told Amy. 'You can stop the jamming now' she told as Enyo who was closing the front door. 'You're putting my teeth on edge' she added.

'Sorry' Enyo apologised as she damped her magicks back down.

Amy force her head back up from where it had been lolling against her shoulder. '_Willow_' she greeted the other witch telepathically.

'_Amy_' Willow replied in the same fashion, letting more than a little smugness creep into her inner voice.

'_Hi we haven't been formally introduced I'm Rebecca_' a third voice interrupted. '_And I am __the God-Princess__Enyo_' a fourth, similar though harsher voice inexplicably added, seemingly from exactly the same place.

'_That never ceases to creep me out_' Willow observed. She had once linked to the girl telepathically and found the two of them singing a duet in there which had been truly freaky. '_And you didn't get have to dodge or get hit by a single fireball_' she added brightly.

'_Saved a set of clothes anyway_' Enyo replied. She was pretty resilient to damage of all kinds, physical or mystical, but her wardrobe wasn't.

'_This won't hold me for long_' Amy told them, mentally struggling against the band of force that held her bound and aloft.

'It doesn't have to' Willow replied out loud then grinned evilly as she reached out, put her hand against the side of Amy's head and with a push turned her completely upside down in mid air, her long hair almost reaching the ground as her legs stayed locked together, bare feet pointing at the ceiling. As petty revenge went it was certainly petty but funny nonetheless, they were definitely going to be taking photographs back at the Hyperion.

'We can come back for her stuff' Enyo told Willow. 'If you give me a minute to concentrate I'll open a portal that won't drop us out five hundred feet above the hotel.'

'I'll taunt Amy in the meantime' Willow responded gleefully.

'_Why don't you just kill me and get it over with_' Amy asked.

'Good... or at least bad witches with good technique are too hard to find' Willow replied. 'It's time you paid something back to the community' she told the other witch.

'_What the hell makes you think I'll be a good little girl and play along_?' Amy asked coldly.

'Why do people keep thinking it's a _choice_?' Enyo who had been telepathically listening in interrupted out loud. 'Damn I lost my train of thought there, back to square one' she said with a sigh and went back to trying to focus.

'She's right, it's not much of an option, you play for our team or we'll put you on the bench forever in a little pocket dimension we use for hard-case prisoners who are too dangerous to run free' Willow told Amy. 'If it helps we've already got a Hellgod and an Evil Vampire Psychic on the squad so you'll actually be on the less evil end of the spectrum' she continued. 'And that obnoxious upper-class English Slayer we picked up probably scores higher up the bitch scale than you too for that matter.'

'_So what about her, whatever she is_?' Amy asked, meaning Enyo.

Willow thought about it. 'Enyo and her Mother are more... unaffiliated rather than good or evil as such' she eventually decided. 'Thinking of mothers, you merged your mother's name and Larry's surname as your alias, I thought that was kinda cute.'

'_Bite me Rosenberg_' Amy responded.

'If you're a big enough pain in the ass I might let one of our staff vampires do that' Willow replied out loud as Enyo raised her hand to open a portal. 'Should I levitate when I go through?' she asked.

'Might be an idea, it won't be a long drop to the floor but I'm less breakable than you' Enyo replied as she opened the swirling black vortex. 'Amy should drift gently towards the ground.'

'Pity' Willow replied with a frown that changed to a grin as a thought occurred to her. 'Can I spin her like a top when I push her through?' she asked gleefully.

'No reason why not' Enyo replied, 'it won't affect the portal any.'

Thus it was that Amy Madison arrived in the exact centre of the Hyperion Lobby upside down and spinning at high speed in her PJ's. As a mode of arrival it did little to enhance her reputation as a mighty she-witch, but overall she would admit later that it was better than being subsequently stuffed through a portal to Vahla ha'nesh for a timeout when she proved obstinate. All that stone was freezing and they neglected to give her any more clothes, so she spent the night shivering from cold and undergoing caffeine withdrawal because she never did get that coffee either.

**Hyperion Hotel – Los Angeles – October 2004**

'So we decided to make it a joint homecoming, leaving and Halloween party' Gunn explained to Lorne, fresh back from Pylea and just itching to get up on the karaoke machine for the festivities tonight as they set up the sound system in the lobby. 'Made sense what with you and some of the girls are back from Pylea and most everyone else is going to start moving to Shadow Valley any day now.'

'I can't tell you how good it is to be home' Lorne replied. 'One more day on Pylea and I was going to go crazy' he said.

'Thought you might stay' Gunn told him.

Lorne rolled his eyes. 'I wasn't going to stay on a world where I couldn't even serenade the senoritas' he replied. 'Cordelia offered to make me Head of the PIA but I told her I'd rather go back to LA and see my homies.'

'You actually said "homies"?' Gunn asked Lorne askance.

'With my rhythm and moves you _know_ if I wasn't green I'd be black' Lorne replied with a grin causing Gunn to grin himself.

'So the PIA is...?' Gunn checked as they began unrolling cables.

'Pylean intelligence Agency' Lorne explained. 'They're still putting me down as the founder and first Head of the organisation because of that little, and dare I immodestly say, spectacularly effective spy and counter-intelligence network I set up' he declared proudly. 'You know even Mom is willing to admit in public I'm her son these days' he said, 'but she says Numfar looks better in his uniform' he added with a snort. 'I guess I'll never be the favourite son.'

'Well you can put "former head of the PIA" on your resume now' Gunn told him. 'That might be worth points with the ladies.'

'To hell with that' Lorne replied. 'When I turned down _that_ job Cordelia made me the official ambassador of the Pylean Government to the Slayers Council' he declared. 'You can call me Ambassador Krevlornswath from now on bucko.'

Gunn raised his eyebrows. 'And that'll happen when I start calling Angel "Sir", Illyria "God-King" and Cordy "Your Majesty", by which I mean never' he stated.

Lorne sighed dramatically. 'If we're ever trying to pick up chicks would you do it then?' he asked.

'Oh hell yeah' Gunn agreed, 'as long as you back up my story that I'm an astronaut' he joked.

'There's a difference, I really _am_ an Ambassador' Lorne pointed out.

'And my story is _still_ going to be more believable' Gunn replied with a smirk. 'Not going to be as good as last year's party' he said sadly, looking around.

Lorne shrugged. 'Most of that was down to me and Knox last year' he replied. 'I've been off-world and he said he's been spending too much time at Shadow Valley to do Halloween the justice it deserves' he continued.

'Don't be underestimating Amanda, I think she's been taking up a lot of his free time' Gunn told him.

'Knox and Amanda?' Lorne queried.

'Match made in Dungeons and Dragons' Gunn replied. 'Way I hear it she picked on him until he gave up.'

'So much gossip to catch up on' Lorne said. 'Knox and Amanda, Dawn and Connor, Wes and Faith' he said. 'It's been a regular love-nest here while I've been in Pylea with bugs nesting in my shorts.'

'You went to fight for your homeland and family' Gunn told him. 'Can't say better for a man than that' he observed as they finished setting up the karaoke machine. 'You're no coward and you'll stand up for what you think is right.'

'And you'll have me blushing next' Lorne told him. 'Admittedly it's just a darker green on my cheeks but it'll be there' he said. 'So how about your love-life?' he asked. 'I did hear tale from Freddikins earlier about a certain lady that runs a shelter.'

Gunn made a non-committal noise which clearly wasn't going to dissuade Lorne from prying further so he gave a small nod. 'I've taken her out a couple of times' he admitted.

'Good for you' Lorne told him, 'she's good looking _and_ a good person' he observed. 'Hell of a double.'

'I'd been helping out more at the shelter when I wasn't doing detective work' Gunn explained. 'Not nearly so much evil to fight in LA these days' he noted. 'Guess I lucked out from being bored and looking for something to do.'

'Workplace romance' Lorne said with our smile.

'Yeah our eyes met over the drunk kid that tried to bring booze into the shelter and who threw up when I chucked his ass back out into the street' Gunn replied with a chuckle.

'If you ever end up with kids, make up a more romantic story to tell them' Lorne advised with a chuckle.

On the other side of the lobby at the main desk Harmony, who had returned from Pylea with Lorne, had been pleasantly surprised to be greeted warmly by Diana, who had been swamped with paperwork in her absence and who seemed overjoyed to have the vampire and her superhuman typing ability back at work. 'I mean it was great to see my reflection in the mirror and go out in the sunlight but I couldn't have stayed there much longer' Harmony told the other admin as she worked. 'No music, no TV no otter blood' she continued. 'I mean I'll go back next year for a vacation, get a tan, but _live_ there?' she asked rhetorically, 'no way.'

'You do look a very healthy colour' Diana told her.

Harmony beamed. 'Gee thanks' she replied.

Glory walked past carrying a crate of chips and other party food, if there was manual labour to do she got picked for it. It was deliberately demeaning but as long as she made herself useful she was being given increasingly free rein over her life on other things like the short vacation she had spent with her brother Ben up in San Francisco. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted something stuck to the side of Harmony's PC and stopped dead in her tracks. 'What the hell is that?' she asked pointing.

'It's a photograph, duh' Harmony replied, it was girls like Glory that made people think blonds were dumb she thought to herself sadly.

Glory resisted the urge to rip Harmony's head off. 'I know it's a photograph you dolt' she responded through gritted teeth. 'I meant what's on it.'

'Oh' Harmony responded. 'It's my new boyfriend' she said brightly. She was glad she'd borrowed the Polaroid Camera from one of the gunslayers on Pylea, he looked really good in that uniform and the beret, not too bad out of it either too she decided.

Glory put down the crate. 'What do you mean that's your _boyfriend_?' she hissed.

Yup, she was definitely one of those stereotypical dumb blondes that ruined it for the rest of us Harmony realised, better talk slowly and use short words she decided. 'The man in the picture and me are a couple' she said. 'We go out together, date you know' she explained.

'I _know_ the man in the picture' Glory snapped back. 'It's that Merc weasel Ashton.'

Harmony eyes widened. 'Oh yes, I remember' she said. 'When you were on Pylea didn't you offer to sleep with him but he turned you down?' she asked. He must prefer smart girls she thought to herself.

Glory's jaw dropped. 'He was trying to get in my pants the whole time I was there' she responded.

'And so when you offered to let him he said no?' Harmony replied sarcastically. Oh yeah like _that_ was a likely story she thought. 'Face it sister, the man's got standards, I reached them and you didn't.'

'Standards!' Glory exclaimed incredulously. 'I'm perfect, and I'm beautiful...'

'And you're single...' Harmony interrupted smugly.

Glory raised a fist that she could drive through the vampires chest and rip out her heart with in a split second. 'I can have any man I want.'

'Not mine apparently' Harmony retorted.

'I don't _want_ yours' Glory declared.

'Then why are you so pissed-off?' Harmony asked sweetly, game set and match to Harmony Kendall she thought triumphantly.

Glory blinked. 'Because... because he was the one that paid attention to me' she replied. It had been nice to be fawned over, more like the ways things always should be.

'Maybe he did, maybe he didn't' Harmony replied, 'but when I rocked his world I didn't hear him saying "Oh Glory" sweetheart' she told her, twisting the knife there a bit at the end.

Diana, still sat alongside Harmony looked from one to the other, this was good stuff she decided, a few passing slayers were surreptitiously, and not so surreptitiously listening in too as she reached for a glass of water.

'What? So you think you've got something I don't?' Glory asked with a sneer.

'You mean _o__ther_ than a boyfriend?' Harmony asked smugly, 'Yes I do' she continued, 'class and brains' she declared proudly.

Diana nearly drowned as the water she sipped went down the wrong way. Well at least the choking hid the uncontrollable laughter.

Harmony beamed again as she was cheered by a cadre of laughing slayers, she doubted _that _had happened to many vampires before, at least not ones without a soul she thought. It was nice to be accepted and belong, she thought happily.

'I hate this plane of existence' Glory moaned quietly to herself.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_This fanfic runs on reviews... and sometimes caffeine._


	12. Chapter 12

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****TWELVE**

**Hyperion**** Hotel – Los Angeles – ****November**** 2004**

Dressing after her shower Vi felt fully clean for the first time since she had shipped out to Pylea back in January, it had been less than a year ago but felt like an eternity. She had originally been due to return months ago but like several other girls for had been with her since the start of the campaign events had conspired to keep them there.

The prospect of sleeping in a real bed loomed large in her mind but the rumbling of her stomach made food a priority, anyone or anything that tried to get between her and the massive order of Chinese Food that should be arriving at the hotel any time soon was heading for a world of hurt she decided as she finished dressing, in clothes that weren't even camouflage pattern, opened the door of her room and made her way down towards the Lobby. Wearing trainers again after months of heavy combat boots felt weird but put a definite spring in her step as she trotted down the stairs to where most of the girls who had returned with her were already gathered, chatting to other girls that had returned from Pylea a few months earlier and who wanted to hear what had happened since they left.

'Hey Chief' Charlotte greeted Vi with a smile. 'Welcome back to the world' she said handing Vi a can of soda. 'Sorry there wasn't a parade.'

'I'd have rather had the shower than the ceremony any day' Vi replied, lifting the soda in a salute to the other gunslayers who raised their own drinks in reply. 'Anyhow we got a parade before we left' she said. 'Must have been a couple of thousand cheered us off before we went through the portal.'

'Nice to be appreciated by someone' Charlotte responded. 'I haven't seen much of that here' she said with mild bitterness. 'We don't even get much field time, Buffy thinks we're... what was it? Oh yeah we're "unsubtle".'

Vi frowned then grinned. 'Be fair how often does she need something blown up or shot to pieces?'

Charlotte shrugged. 'More often than she thinks' the girl replied then spotting another arrival smiled at her. 'Hey Denise' she said moving to give the other girl a hug, missed you' she told her then looked around. 'Where's Rika?' she asked.

'She's putting Joachim to bed in the armoury' Denise replied. 'She loves that cannon of hers, probably singing it a lullaby in Afrikaans' she added. 'You should have seen how pissed she was when the armistice began' Denise continued. 'She reckoned another two months fighting and she would have had the all-time sniper kills record easy.'

'Six weeks would have done it' Rika interrupted, arriving herself. 'The record is held by a Finn named Simo Häyhä' she said with a sigh. 'Five-hundred and Forty-Two kills with a Sniper Rifle' she told Charlotte.

'Going to put his picture up on your wall?' Denise asked with a chuckle.

Rika ignored her. 'I am the highest scoring _female _Sniper in history' she said brightly. 'I passed Lyudmila Pavlichenko's record well before the armistice' she said.

'And boy did we hear about it when_ that_ happened' Vi noted, rolling her eyes.

'I _like_ being good at my job' Rika responded.

Denise nodded. 'I don't think any of us is ever going to deny you were born to fire a rifle' she told the girl. 'If you weren't a slayer you'd have had a great future ahead of you in the assassination business' she said,' or maybe the postal service' she added.

'Hey that's not fair' Charlotte countered. 'We all know the only person on the team who could rate _postal worker_ level crazy gun-nut is Wes' she joked. 'Have you run into his daughter yet?' she asked. 'You'll love her handgun, it's a cut-down L82A1' she said. 'She let me fire it on a range, two handed and the recoil still nearly broke my wrist.'

'Not met her yet' Vi replied. 'There's something about the idea of a combination of Illyria, Wesley and Faith that's really disturbing' she said with a grimace.

'Trust me' Charlotte responded, 'the other side are a fuck-load less comfortable about Enyo being around that you are' she told her seriously. 'Pity you missed the Halloween party' she said. 'It wasn't as good as last year but it was fun' she told the returnees. 'People started heading out the Shadow Valley the day after, Dawn and Buffy had another bust up because Dawn wants to stay here with Connor.'

'I just knew those crazy kids would get together' Denise remarked. 'Thinking of kids I saw the twins earlier, aren't they going to the Valley with Giles?' she asked.

Charlotte shook her head. 'They're going to live here during the week and spend the weekends with Giles while they're at school, he wasn't sure about that but Watcherette pointed out they used to be at boarding school and see their real parents a lot less than they'll still see him' she explained. 'Faith is staying in LA too and so is Dana so it's not like _everyone_ is leaving' she said. 'Spike's sticking around too but we think that's because of the expression he got from Angel when he told him.'

'So what do you know about the Scourge?' Vi asked Charlotte.

'You can kill them with swords or guns' Charlotte replied flatly.

'That's all I needed to know' Vi replied. 'Now where's that damn Chinese food?' she asked checking her watch.

**Shadow Valley – California – November 2004**

Robin Wood shuffled slightly in his Aeron office chair, it certainly _was_ comfortable but he wasn't sure it was really worth the money. 'This thing really cost over a thousand bucks?' he queried.

Xander nodded. 'They were only _that_ cheap because we bought so many' he replied with a smile. 'You should have heard what Anya had to say about our furniture budget.'

'I can imagine' Robin replied looking around his new office. It was at least twice the size of the one he had as Principal of Sunnydale High and the furniture, computer gear and plethora of executive toys probably cost at least ten times as much. 'I like the desk' he said.

'Thought you'd prefer something modern' Xander told him. 'It was easier to put in that that goddamn great oak thing we put in Giles Office down the hall' he said ruefully. 'It weighed a ton, I nearly put my back out helping shift it.'

'My office is bigger than Giles right?' Robin checked.

'Yeah but smaller than Buffy's' Xander replied with a grin. 'You run the Slayer Academy now but she's the boss' he said. 'His office is just off the library, I'll let him show you the books. I can give you a tour of the Workshop if you like' he offered. 'Only got the new CNC Lathes installed last week, we can make just about anything in-house now, design it on a computer and the machine will turn it out for you.'

'Anything?' Robin asked.

'Most anything' Xander admitted. 'Knox is turning out a prototype of the new Gunslayer Rifle right now, copied a G-36K, tweaked the design a bit to re-chamber it to a larger calibre' he explained. 'Thing works as expected it'll be put into series production at our new factory in China before the year's out.'

'Isn't that illegal?' Robin Wood asked with a half-smile.

Xander chuckled. 'Compared to _some_ of the other things we've done, not very' he replied, then checked his watch. 'I think Buffy wanted us in conference in five minutes' he said. 'Better get going' he told the other man who got out of his chair to follow.

Despite the redesign of several areas of the building much of the Academy was identical to the old school and a combination of mild nostalgia for his old job, plus some unpleasant memories of fighting Turok'Han and Harbingers in matching rooms and corridors to these ran through Wood's mind as he followed Xander. Catching a glimpse out through a window he spotted a group of Slayers playing a particularly energetic game of softball outside which seemed a strange counterpoint to the ones practicing hand-to-hand combat nearby. 'I nearly got run through by a Bringer around the next corner' he remarked.

'Yeah I think a lot of us old Sunnydale Hellmouth-closing veterans will get plenty of Déjà vu around here' Xander replied with a nod. 'I guess if I shot up the place and fired off some grenades for old time's sake you'd be annoyed right?' he asked with a wink.

'Yes' Wood replied. 'And no stringing up barbed wire either' he added. 'No running in the corridors' he said sharply to a slayer that crossed their path at high speed, the girl immediately slowed down and continued on her way at walking pace. 'I thought I might have gone rusty but it's like riding a bike' he told Xander.

'Your Principal-Fu is strong' xander joked. 'You'll be handing out detentions and calling in their parents, or maybe their team leaders, in no time.'

'You knew how to build this place, I know how to run it' Wood replied. 'So what are you going to be doing with yourself now?' he asked.

'Got a house to build' Xander replied. 'Knox and Fred say they could do with my help with the secret-weapon business because I'm good with my hands and they're more theory than practical engineering.'

'You could teach shop' Wood suggested. 'The girls should know how to make their own good-quality stakes, fix crossbows, sharpen weapons properly without cutting their fingers off.'

Xander nodded. 'It would be a good idea I suppose' he agreed. 'Basic engine maintenance so they can look after their own vehicles too' he continued. 'I guess I couldn't teach gym class instead though could I?' he asked hopefully. 'Or hang around while they do gym class? Are you going to have a Cheerleader Squad?' he asked with a wink.

Wood shook his head. 'No and be warned I'm going to keep a close watch on how often things in the gymnasium supposedly go wrong and need you to fix them urgently when the place is coincidentally full of teenage girls wearing tight shorts.'

'Damn' Xander responded dejectedly. 'But you wouldn't tell Anya though?' he asked with mock concern.

'First person I'd call to my office to discuss the situation regarding young Mr Harris with' Wood replied deadpan.

Xander frowned. 'I used to think that Snyder was the most evil Principal Sunnydale High ever had but you make him seem like a total amateur' he said pushing open the door to the conference room where Willow and Fred were already waiting talking animatedly about the planned next-generation techno-mystical hand-grenades with the Guardian sat across the table from them clearly horrified by the entire idea. Fred had agreed to spend a few days a week in Shadow Valley teaching science and working with Knox in the ludicrously well-equipped laboratory underneath the main building, whereas Willow and Medousa were now full-time residents with impressive private quarters in the accommodation blocks.

Xander and Robin took their seats shortly before Giles arrived and dropped a small pile of leather-bound books and a notepad on the desk. 'Still not using the PDA we gave you?' Wilow asked Giles with a smile. 'You know we've already scanned most of the library onto the mainframe and you can access any of them with the push of a button right?' she asked.

'Whole building is an encrypted wireless network' Xander agreed.

'You cannot possibly compare the tactile pleasure and connection to the text of reading a book or manuscript with staring at a tiny plastic screen' Giles replied evenly.

'The Shadow Man is right, and you won't hear me say that very often' Medousa agreed.

'Couldn't you please call me Giles for once?' the watcher asked. 'Shadow-Man sounds so sinister.'

'You _are_ sinister' Medousa replied. 'My sisters and I watched your kind long enough to know that.'

'Which didn't stop you _sleeping_ with one of my kind before he went to Pylea as I recall' Giles retorted.

Medousa narrowed her eyes in annoyance but then her expression shifted into a smile. 'I always had a weakness for the warrior type' she admitted. 'If they had put down onto parchment what I _really _did with Perseus it wouldn't have ended up a mythical tale told to children' she said. 'There was head involved but it wasn't getting mine cut off' she declared causing Fred and Willow to start laughing.

Giles grimaced. 'Bloody ancient sex-maniac' he mumbled.

Buffy walked in and finding everyone already there took her seat at the head of the table, Giles sliding a note in front of her.

'Stirling is due back next month' Willow noted. 'The mercs too, their contract is up.'

Giles nodded. 'Buffy is thinking of asking them to stay on in another capacity at Stirling's suggestion as it happens' he said.

Buffy read the note and looked up. 'Yes' she concurred. 'Stirling suggested that we re-form the old Council Special Operations Team with former military personnel like it was when he ran it' she said. 'I'm going to ask Ashton and Perković if they're interested.'

Willow looked surprised. 'I didn't think you were a fan' she said.

'I'm not' Buffy replied, 'but they proved they can handle the demon stuff, we know they're good at what they do, and I'd rather have them doing as much of the "wet-work" as possible when we have to deal with human enemies' she said. 'I don't like the effect that killing humans had on the girls that fought in Pylea.'

'The ones I talked to do seem a little... dark and intense' Fred agreed.

'I'd have gone with nucking futs myself' Buffy responded, rolling her eyes. 'I mean they're a great last resort if it comes to that but I don't want too many more like that around.'

Giles nodded. 'We've agreed to keep the number of gunslayers to a limit of two-hundred and we're nearly at that level now' he said. 'That should be around ten percent of slayers when we're at full strength' he noted.

'I like them to be well in the minority' Buffy admitted. 'They've got a warped world view' she opined, 'and thinking of warped world views as you know Illyria is staying in Los Angeles which has helped out with our other recruiting issues.'

Giles pushed his glasses up his nose. 'As you know our relationship with the Devon coven and others has been slightly strained by our association with Illyria' he said. 'Willow and I have managed to keep relations cordial and largely friendly...'

'Molly helped a lot' Willow interjected, 'she's been visiting them every few weeks too' she added.

'Indeed' Giles agreed, 'but as long as we were based in the same locale as an Old One we were always going to have trouble bringing many other witches aboard.'

'They've got the good sense to keep away from anything that dangerous and powerful' Medousa observed.

'Correct' Giles responded, 'but now we have some distance between ourselves and our infamous blue-hued ally they are now willing to join forces more formally and to that end we expect two volunteer members of the Devon Coven to arrive here next week.'

Willow smiled. 'It'll be nice to have other witches around' she said. 'One's that don't swear at me and I don't have to forcibly restrain like Amy' she continued.

'So how is her re-education coming along?' Xander asked. 'I always liked Amy before she became a bitch.'

Willow shrugged. 'I think overusing the Magicks did to her what they did to me just not as dramatically' she said. 'With the girls from the Coven I think we can bring her around' she said confidently. 'She's never been to a place as dark as where I've been and I came back.'

'Where is she now?' Wood asked.

'Canteen moping over a coffee most likely' Willow replied. 'She knows if she tries to escape, causes trouble, or hurts anyone we can stop her and we'll have Illyria stick her in Vahla ha'nesh for a month to cool down' she said. 'Amy these days is the second most powerful human Mage I've ever encountered by far but I'm still number one and_ I've _got back-up' she said confidently.

Medousa crossed her arms. 'I can sense the Madison girls power and inner conflict' she said, 'but I do not think her evil merely on the wrong path, with help she will become a great warrior for the Goddess.'

Buffy smiled. 'Just another person on the team on their way to redemption' she said. 'We've got Faith, Andrew, Glory... why not Amy?'

'You're forgetting my former Vengeance Demon girlfriend Anya' Xander pointed out. 'She's redeeming herself to mankind right now sorting out the accounts for next year.'

'Oh right I was meaning to ask about that' Willow remembered. 'I'm going to need more money in my budget?'

'Eye of Newt gone up in price?' Xander joked.

'Yes as a matter of fact' Willow replied flatly, 'but if we're going to want to keep these witches we'd better _pay_ them' she said. 'Same rate as the slayers sounds fair' she said. 'Plus if I'm going to be the _Chief_ Witch with my own staff I should really get a raise' she added quickly. 'And a Company Car' she added.

'You know, while we're talking company cars I never got my Jaguar' Giles interjected.

'If they're getting Company Cars I want one' Robin declared.

Buffy looked around. 'I suppose you want one too?' she asked Fred.

'I was going to ask for a Particle Accelerator for the Lab' Fred replied sheepishly. 'It'll cost a lot more than a car' she admitted.

'It's a good thing we're disgustingly wealthy these days' Xander noted brightly. 'So is this the time to ask for a new Pick-Up Truck?' he asked.

Muttering dark thoughts Buffy rounded on Medousa. 'So what do _you_ want?' she asked.

The Guardian pursed her lips. 'I wasn't really planning on asking for anything but that little hill over there would look perfect with a nice marble temple on top of it' she said pointing out of the window. 'Doric Columns' she said. 'Corinthian looks tacky.'

'I'll take sensible requests and discuss them with Anya' Buffy said after a sigh. 'No Classical Greek Temples.'

'Well I wasn't expecting the Parthenon or anything' Medousa replied with a pout.

**Hyperion**** Hotel – Los Angeles – November 2004**

'Buffy wants us to go _where_?' Spike asked leaning back in his chair with his boots up on Angels desk to annoy him.

Angel tried not to let it show how much Spike was annoying him by having his feet up on his desk and crossed his arms. 'The world the bug demon came from' he said. 'The one that worshipped Jasmine that Illyria sent back' he said.

'Why?' Spike asked.

'It's the only place we know of that we can get the kind of crystals they make those Portal Orbs from' Angel answered. 'The air there is supposed to be full of chorine gas so they can't send slayers to get some.'

'But that's not a problem for us' Spike noted. 'Oh sod it why not?' he said. 'We expecting a decent punch-up?' he asked.

Angel nodded. 'According to Enyo the bugs value the crystals and they won't give them up without a fight' he said. 'The ones that have most of them are the remains of the Jasmine followers there so they're fanatical.'

'Sounds better and better' Spike declared happily.

Angel squeezed his eyes shut. 'There are going to be too many of them for us to handle on our own' he said.

'So is Blue or her daughter coming along?' Spike asked.

'They've got other jobs to do' Angel replied. 'Do you think we can trust Drusilla?' he asked.

'Dru?' Spike exclaimed. 'You're kidding?' he asked incredulously.

'She doesn't breathe either and I'm sure she'd enjoy the first opportunity in months to kill something' Angel replied.

Spike took his feet down off Angels desk. 'She might at that' he agreed, 'could be good for the girl' he said then smiled. 'You, me and Dru together' he said. 'All we're missing is Darla and it's the old gang back in action' he said.

'Excuse me bossy' Harmony said sticking her head inside the door. 'But I was going to ask if I could move in here now there's more space?' she asked. 'I don't get on with my neighbours at the apartment block I live in' she said truthfully, Mrs Jacobi didn't even speak to her.

Spike and Angel both looked at Harmony then to each other. 'Well she's blond anyway' Angel noted. 'Harmony how would you like to earn some overtime?' he asked her.

'Would I?' Harmony responded brightly.

'Are you _sure_ about this mate?' Spike asked Angel with concern.

* * *

_**Note from the Author**:_

_I'm happy to announce that the first story in this series (Compelled to Play Again) won both categories it was entered into in the Fang-Fetish Fan-Fiction Awards this week ("Time Travel" and "The Supernatural"). I am, needless to say, very happy about it and did the Dance of Joy ;-)_

_This Fanfic runs on Award Wins :-p_


	13. Chapter 13

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****THIRTEEN**

**Hyperion**** Hotel – Los Angeles – November 2004**

Drusilla feinted and Harmony fell for it yet again, shifting her stance to counter a blow that wasn't really coming, and suffering badly for it as the other vampire delivered a brutal kick to the side of Harmony's knee that caused her to cry out in pain and collapse to the crash-mat covered door of the gym. It was normally full of slayers but they were all watching some of the footage of the Portal Wars Enyo had bought back with her from the future, or rather the alternate future she was from. Vi and the girls back from Pylea had never seen any of them and it was strange and oddly compelling to occasionally catch a glimpse of yourself in twenty-something years time. Some of the girls had even witnessed their own deaths and it said something for their developing macabre sense of humour that the sight was often greeted by a request to wind it back and a plea to "remind me to dodge left not right okay?"

'For God's sake Harm put your bloody brain in gear' Spike told her, as she rose back to her feet looking like she was going to start crying. Drusilla meanwhile backed away with a triumphant look on her face which became a joyous childlike smile when Connor, her "baby brother", gave her a short round of applause. She might be insane but you didn't live as long as she had without picking up pretty decent martial arts skills, and she _had_ been taught by Angelus and Darla after all.

'I think she spent too many years idling in neutral for that to happen' Dawn couldn't help but comment to Spike as she also enjoyed the spectacle. Harmony might seem... well harmless sometimes, she thought, but the bitch and her third-rate minions _had_ chained Dawn to a wall and it was pretty hard to let something like that go.

'We're sparring, isn't she supposed to like, pull her punches or whatever?' Harmony complained to Spike, grateful she was a vampire and all the ouchies would heal up fast.

'Doesn't the silly little girl like to play rough?' Drusilla asked sweetly.

'Can't I fight someone else?' Harmony asked with a pout, ignoring the Dorkus. 'I'll fight a slayer' she offered, 'a _sane_ one not that _other_ fruitloop Dana' she added.

Spike shook his head. 'Drusilla needs the practice too if we're going on a little field trip to the Planet of the Bugs' he replied. 'Not as much as _you_ do' he noted, 'but she does, and if you can't put up a decent fight against Dru, a _slayer_ is going to kick your arse all over the shop.'

'We're going on a family outing' Drusilla declared happily to nobody in particular. 'We're bringing a picnic basket with lots of yummy treats and Daddy says if the demons taste good I can eat as many as I like too.'

Dawn raised her eyebrows at Connor. 'Dad needed some way to motivate her' he told his girlfriend with a shrug.

'Baby brother can't come because of the nasty air' Drusilla said glumly, 'unless I can make him a proper part of the family' she added, giving Connor a hopeful look.

'You're _not_ turning me' Connor replied flatly. 'I like my blood where it is and my heart going thump thump in here' he added, pointing to his chest.

'But we'll have cakes and lollypops and lemonade' Drusilla wheedled.

'Not happening Sis' Connor stated. It was good policy to play along with her deranged notion he was her brother sometimes.

Drusilla sighed. 'Alright but we'll bring you back a present' she said. She knew what gifts Connor liked, she'd make him a pretty necklace from the teeth of demons she killed because she knew he'd be happy and give her a big hug. She wasn't overjoyed by his choice of girlfriend though, she was a slayers sister and had this weird greenish glow about her that was downright creepy. She had already decided to find him a suitable replacement, a nice pretty vampire girl who had been raised by a good, decent, churchgoing family before she was sired and ate them.

Harmony put her weight on the knee Drusila had kicked to check it was okay then got back into a fighting stance. She wasn't really that bad Spike decided, surprisingly based on watching her form he thought she could probably take most inexperienced or fledging vamps in a fight and a fair number of older ones, her problem wasn't physical it was entirely mental, Harmony had the killer instinct like all vampires, she just lacked the killer mind-set to go with it, well that and maybe a few IQ points and a serious amount of general knowledge he admitted to himself. 'Alright bitch' Harmony said, 'no more Miss Nice Gal' she told Drusilla. 'I am_ so_ going to kick your ass' she declared.

Drusilla giggled then instantly regretted it when Harmony narrowed her eyes and growled in response. The little blond girl might be a silly-billy but apparently she had hidden depths, the anger and desire for inflict pain flowing from the other vampire washed over Drusilla like a refreshing deluge of hate, it tickled and made the seer want to bask in it like far off memories of raising her face to the sun on a warm summers day. As it was Drusilla was so lost in the moment she forgot what she was supposed to be doing until Harmony threw herself into an attack and successfully connected a staggering right cross which snapped her out of her daydream a split second before Harmony swept her legs out from under her dropping her hard to the ground.

'Dru you can't zone out in the middle of a fight like that' Spike told her as Harmony checked she hadn't broken a nail. 'Do you remember that William Tell wannabe outside Geneva who nearly dusted you because you were looking at a butterfly when he found us hiding in that barn?'

'Pretty bug' Drusilla recalled with a smile as she continued to lie on the floor. 'It got away' she added sadly. Mostly at night you only got to see moths and they were dull and boring.

'_You_ very nearly didn't' Spike reminded her. 'If I hadn't got in the way of that Swiss git's crossbow bolt you'd have been dust' he said. 'As it was you could have used me as a coat-rack until I managed to get that bloody thing out of my shoulder, blasted thing was barbed I had to push it right through to get rid of it' he recalled.

What happened to the Swiss guy?' Dawn asked curiously.

'Ate him' Spike replied. 'Crossbows don't reload fast enough and the daft sod came after us on his own' he explained. 'I'll give it to the Watchers Council, at least _they_ always had the brains to hunt as a team if there wasn't a slayer they could send to do the job instead. I'd never admit it to him but Wesley's Dad and his boys nearly got me in '63, I was lucky there' he confessed.

'Our rats are low' Drusilla said randomly, eyes seeming to go out of focus as she looked up at the ceiling. Spike turned back to her puzzled and immediately noted her "looking beyond" expression immediately, he'd seen it enough over the decades. 'Our rates are low, but our standards are high. When the chips are down, and you're at the end of your rope you need someone that you can count on' she said.

'Is she on something?' Harmony asked. 'And if she isn't shouldn't we put her on something?' she asked.

'Shut up' Connor told her sharply. 'I've heard this before' he said then looked thoughtful. 'Dad's video collection, I was looking for a tape to record something on and found it in there' he said then snapped his fingers. 'Doyle, I asked Dad and it told me it was Doyle.'

'Angel I'm not done' Drusilla said. 'They need a hero again, death was told where they are' she continued. 'You've got to save them' she said then paused. 'Is this thing on?' she asked. 'Bloody vampire seers, give me an Irish Gypsy with a crystal ball any day' Drusilla said, her voice trailing away.

'I think I'd better talk to Dad' Connor said. 'Right now' he added starting to run leaving the rest of them behind as he sprinted to his fathers office. If what he'd been told about the visions Cordelia and before her Doyle used to get they were never sent with plenty of warning.

'Who's Doyle?' Harmony asked.

'Dead guy' Spike replied. 'Really dead, not like_ us_ dead' he told her. He'd heard bits and pieces of the story over the last couple of years. 'I guess Dru just channelled the spirit world or something' he reasoned.

Harmony nodded. 'You are_ such_ a freak' she told Drusilla.

**Shadow Valley – California – November 2004**

Anya put down her calculator and glared at Medousa across her desk. 'Following me into my office and trying to intimidate me with that condescending "you're only twelve centuries old what the hell do you know" attitude doesn't win any points with me you old bat' she told the old woman.

'I'm not letting this go youngster' Medousa replied angrily. She hadn't been this annoyed since her last argument with Giles. 'In war, or anything else, barbarian savagery is no match for civilisation and rational thought' she stated with certainty.

Anya snorted. 'I'll take a real man wearing fur carrying a battleaxe over some limp-wristed pretty-boy in a skirt carrying a spear any day' she retorted.

'Which might explain why _my_ people gave the world philosophy, science, architecture and literature, while yours just gave each other fleas' Medousa responded smugly. 'If you keep selectively breeding for unkempt, hairy thugs you'll never get anywhere.'

'Get anywhere?' Anya snapped back. 'Half of Europe lived in mortal fear of the day _my_ people would sail up to their coast and we sailed to North America five hundred years before Columbus.'

'Excuse me interrupting' Robin Wood said from the open doorway to Anya's office, but we can hear you two arguing all the way down the corridor' he said.

'Tell her to get out of my office' Anya told Robin. 'She's stalking me.'

'I'm not leaving until she admits she's wrong' Medousa responded in a huff, crossing her arms and preparing to dig in her heels.

Robin Wood sighed. 'Well in the interests of negotiating a settlement so I can return to my own desk in peace what precisely is the disagreement?' he asked amiably.

Medousa pursed her lips. 'Well it's mostly theoretical...' she began.

'Look' Anya interrupted, 'if the Norse Gods and the Greek Gods had a fight who would win?' she asked sternly.

Wood blinked. 'That's what you're arguing about?' he queried. 'Which Pagan Gods are tougher?'

'There's no argument' Anya responded. 'Odin would kick Zeus's butt' she declared with certainty.

'Immature blasphemous crap' Medousa retorted. 'And she thinks Thor could take Ares... I mean _Ares_ the God of War himself, that clumsy hammer of his would _shatter_ as soon as it struck a _real_ weapon forged by Hephaestus.'

'Shows what _you_ know' Anya replied. 'Thor's Hammer Mjolnir _can't_ be broken' she said. 'The Æsir Gods would whup the Olympians just like they beat the Vanir.'

'Oh like beating Njord and the rest of the Vanir is anything to boast about' Medousa replied scornfully. 'The Olympians beat Cronus and the _Titans_!' she exclaimed.

Wood grinned. 'Is all this mythology really worth arguing about?' he asked.

'_Mythology_?' Anya and Medousa responded simultaneously, re-directing both their angers and glares his way and causing him to flinch. Sometimes it was easy to forget that these two had been raised worshipping these Gods and would react accordingly.

'So... do they get to throw lightning bolts?' Wood asked after a pause trying to play along and make nice.

'_No_!' Anya and Medousa replied together sharply.

Robin Wood decided he was better off being elsewhere 'I've got to go meet some new arrivals' he told them backing slowly out the door and very nearly tripping up Knox who wasn't really looking where he was going reading from a clipboard as he walked along the corridor. 'How the class go?' Wood asked once they untangled from each other.

'Fine, fine' Knox replied. 'I'm going to have to run some remedial demon physiology courses though, if they don't have a better idea of where the vital organs are in each species they'll be wasting a lot of time and effort stabbing them in the wrong place' he said. 'They seemed keen at least, well some of them did.'

Wood smiled. 'You sound more positive than Willow, she ran into some problems with her Basic Applied Magicks seminar this morning.'

'What happened?' Knox asked.

'Some of them wouldn't stop talking and she got so annoyed she cast a spell that rendered the entire class dumb, she says she'll neutralise it and return them the power of speech when every single one has written out "I will not talk in class" a hundred times and handed it to her.'

Knox raised his eyebrows. 'That's just...' Knox began then paused, 'genius' he said eventually after considering the sheer brilliance of it.

'I know' Wood agreed. 'It could revolutionise teaching as we know it' he said seriously. 'She even threatened one girl with detention in an astral plane.'

Knox's cellphone started to ring and he answered it, caller ID said it was Dawn in LA. 'Ahoy hoy' he greeted her then paused. 'Yes it's a live satellite feed, the device automatically hacks the signal coming from anything over the area you're trying to look at' he told her then paused again to listen. 'Yeah the GPS will work, just use the coordinates as your destination it's a smart system... no it's _not_ a good opportunity for a test... damn it Dawn!' he exclaimed then looked to Robin with a frown. 'She hung up' he said.

'What was that about?' Wood asked.

'Illyria and Enyo are both unreachable in Vahla ha'nesh having some Mother/Daughter time and Angel needs to be somewhere in a hurry' Knox replied. 'I'd better tell Buffy' he said gloomily.

'Bad news?' Wood asked.

'Oh yeah' Knox told him with a sigh. 'Bet you fifty bucks she slays the messenger.'

'How would I collect?' Robin asked. 'Give me the money now and I'll give it back if you live' he suggested.

'My wallet's in my other lab-coat' Knox told him then headed for Buffy's office. She was going to be _pissed_ he just knew it.

**Island of ****Briole**** – Ecuador****ian Coast**** – November 2004**

Standing in the doorway of the wooden hut holding his machete Rieff took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves. He couldn't show fear, he had to be strong for Rayna who was stuffing her meagre possessions into a bag inside before they ran for the shelter of the forest that covered the bulk of the Island. It had been their home for five years, ever since they fled the United States on the cargo ship that had carried them here supposedly to safety, the Chosen One had saved them and lost his life doing so, he was long gone and there was nobody to protect them from what was coming.

'Fucking prophecies' Rieff swore loudly. 'Mentioned Doyle would save us, didn't add it was just a short-term reprieve' he complained as the girl finished packing and appeared next to him carrying a small sack of clothes and food.

Rayna looked East, the other main settlement of the Lister Demons that had made Briole their home was still burning, the thick smoke visible for miles, a tear rolled down her cheek as she thought of all the people that would have already died. 'Just like the good old days' Rieff observed. 'Just stay quiet and stay hidden and they'll go away eventually' he promised.

'I'm sorry I stopped you going to fight' Rayna told him. 'I know you wanted to' she said, resting her head against his shoulder.

'You saved my life' Rieff replied. 'We can't stop them' he said.

'Lots of the others went to try' Rayna noted.

Rieff kissed the top of her head, she was fifteen now and he didn't have to lean over to do it. 'Yeah and if you think it's just the _town_ burning over there you're crazy' he said, taking the sack off her. Most of the Lister Demons that lived in the small collection of huts that formed the coastal village had already left to either hide or go fight the Scourge, Rieff's prevarication as to which group to join had left him and Rayna the last ones there and as the sun started to set over what should have been an idyllic tropical pacific Island a few miles off the Ecuadorian coast the silence made the warm breeze seem chill.

Rayna wiped away her tears, it had been paradise for a while. The small island a haven for the half-breed Lister Demons who's mixed heritage made them despised by the likes of the Scourge for their humanity while their features made them unable to mix with humanity either. When he got drunk on the spirits they traded with local fisherman for, Rieff always became maudlin and told the story about only ever being able to go out on Halloween when back "home" in the United States. 'We were happy for a while' she said quietly.

'Was it really too much to ask for what other people get?' Rieff asked rhetorically as the setting sun made the glow from the burning settlement start to stand out in the distance. 'To get the chance to be happy for a whole lifetime?' he asked, shaking his head sadly. 'We've got to go' he told her. 'They'll search the coast first and then start searching for us inland' he said.

'They'll burn everything we have' Rayna said, reaching out to touch the wall of her home. It was only a hut but it was hers.

'We can rebuild' Rieff told her. 'Coming back to life is trickier' he said, forcing a grin.

'You can't re-grow fingers either so be careful when you start swinging that machete' Rayna told him.

'Hey don't you be disrespecting my machete skills' Rieff replied as they headed for the forest. 'I've had years of practice.'

'I was there when you first got one and tried to clear a patch of forest for a garden remember' Rayna replied.

'That was years ago' Rieff replied.

'Between all the cuts you must have left three pints of blood behind' she told him.

'That was deliberate' Rieff told her. 'Blood makes good fertiliser.'

'So does bullshit and you're spreading plenty of that around too' the girl responded.

Rieff was about to retaliate when a crack of thunder directly before them caused the pair to spin around and gape at the whirling back vortex that had appeared hanging in the air and began to expand, static electricity making their hair stand on end and the smell of ozone drifting into their nostrils. 'What the crap?' he said. 'Get ready to run it must be a Scourge trick' he told the teenager and they tensed to run just as a distinctly human figure stepped out of the eddy in time and space and levelled a rifle at them.

'Lister Demon's right?' the apparition asked. On closer inspection judging from the voice and the part of the face visible beneath a helmet visor it seemed to be a human girl no much older than Rayna if at all.

'Yes' Rieff replied nervously.

'Cool' the girl said taking a step clear before another emerged. 'My name's Vi we're here to help you' she said aiming her rifle away from them. 'Where's the Scourge?' she asked.

'Who are you?' Rayna asked as more and more girls dressed in the same black combat fatigues and armour emerged from the vortex and began to deploy unbidden into a defensive formation, looking for trouble whilst keeping an eye on the two halfbreed demons.

'We're Slayers' Vi told them pulling off her helmet so they could get a better look at her. The helmets were effective but they were intimidating too. 'Gunslayers to be precise' she added. 'We're here to fight the Scourge.'

'Why?' Rieff asked. He had heard of Slayers, a rumour had even reached the island there was more than one now but the term gunslayer was new to him though appropriate given the hardware they were packing.

'Because we're at war with them and besides which they were going to kill you' Vi responded. 'I guess that's them doing that?' she asked pointing to the glow and smoke coming from the burning township along the coast. 'Getting dark' she observed, 'get your nightvision gear ready we're going to hit them as soon as the sun's down' she ordered her ever increasing number of troops. At least twenty had already come through and they were still emerging one after another.

'You're humans' Rieff pointed out. 'Since when did humans give a shit about the likes of us?' he asked just as another figure, this one very familiar came through, causing him to gape and Rayna to gasp out loud.

'Maybe they don't but_ I_ do' Angel replied. 'There's no way I'm going to let my friend have died for nothing especially given he just went out of his way to get a message to me' he told them. 'Long time no see' he added. 'You've grown' he told the girl, if it wasn't for her scent he wouldn't have recognised her as being the little ten year old girl he'd met before.

'I don't care if you're demons' Vi told them. 'We fight the bad guys and sometimes that means fighting demons and sometimes it means fighting humans alongside them' she said. Pylea had made the gunslayers slightly unhinged and gung-ho according to some, but it had conversely also made them less racially biased than most. The demonic troops of the PDF were friends and allies while the human mercenary Special-Ops of Wolfram Hart were the enemy, it was what you did that made you the bad guys not what you looked like.

A young man approaching Rieffs age stepped through the portal. 'This is my son Connor' Angel announced. 'Don't ask how a two hundred year old vampire has a biological son with a pulse it's a long story' he added. 'And this is his girlfriend Dawn' he continued as a girl a couple of years older than Rayna wearing jeans and a leather jacket instead of combat gear followed behind, the vortex immediately closing up behind her.

'Those needles really hurt' Dawn complained, looking down at the bulky device strapped to her forearm, 'but on the plus side it worked' she added happily.

'Successful test Pathfinder' Connor told her, kissing her on the cheek.

Dawn smiled and looked around. 'This is going to make vacationing abroad so easy' she said, giving the device on her arm a friendly pat. 'Okay you wanted to arrive a couple of miles from where the Scourge landed and here we are' she said. 'Over to you' she said as the gunslayers began clipping night-vision goggles to their helmets and Connor slipped a set over his own eyes, his Dad didn't need any, he could vamp out if he wanted to see in the dark.

'Denise take your squad into the forest and hit them from there when the shooting starts' Vi ordered. 'Jailbait you and your team follow me and my squad along the coast' she continued. 'Check your targets before engaging, we have civilians in the area' she noted. 'Let's go to work' she ordered pulling back the cocking lever of her G-36K, the girls doing likewise as they started to move.

'See you later Connor' Dawn told him.

'You'll be okay?' Connor checked.

'I'll be fine' Dawn replied. 'I can always run away where they can't follow if I meet trouble' she noted, holding up the device on her arm. 'Just don't bring me back an ear or anything' she requested with a grimace. Connor was such a barbarian sometimes.

Connor grinned. 'After you Dad' he told Angel, pulling a knife from a sheave inside his jacket which morphed into a sword as he silently mouthed an incantation. Rieff and Rayna staring in astonishment.

'We're a bit better equipped than the last time you met my crew' Angel told the Lister demons holding up his hand to show them a somewhat gaudy ring. 'I can't be killed by stakes now either' he noted. 'Let's go son' he told his son and the pair started running after Vi and her people.

Dawn watched them leave with a smile, Connor was such a hero and his sword was way cooler and more tasteful than his Dad's ring. 'Hey do you want to see yourself from space?' she asked the putting up an image of Briole on the Pathfinder device's screen. 'That's the ship they Scourge arrived on' she said pointing at the transport moored off the coast. 'Sorry we couldn't get here any sooner' she apologised. 'So am I mentioned in your clan prophecies?' she asked hopefully. 'I might be mentioned as "Pathfinder" or "The Key" if my name isn't in there' she said. 'I know they can be cryptic sometimes' she added.

'No' Rieff told her with a shrug.

Dawn pouted. 'I never get any recognition' she complained just as a burst of gunfire in the distance indicated an undoubtedly very surprised Scourge soldier had just run into a very heavily armed gunslayer. 'Ooh I bet this isn't going the way they thought it would' Dawn observed as tracer fire and exploding incendiary grenades began to light up the encroaching night far more spectacularly than the burning settlement had been.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_This fanfic runs on reviews, it's more environmentally freindly than Oil and isn't approaching $100 a barrel :-p_


	14. Chapter 14

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****FOURTEEN**

**Island of ****Briole**** – Ecuador****ian Coast**** – November 2004**

The Scourge were highly regimented, well trained and fanatically motivated. Like the majority of demon associations and clans they hated humanity but unlike most others they were still prepared to adopt ideas from them in order to ensure victory. Their militaristic, not to say deliberately fascistic uniforms and organisational structure borrowed heavily from what was clearly the most praiseworthy human society they had witnessed over the years, and a willingness to use artefacts, especially techno-mystical Weapons of Mass Destruction, was a clear indication that they were rational and perfectly happy to abandon age-old tradition for the sake of achieving their goals.

Although not a threat on the level of Wolfram-Hart, or even Twilight who only really rated as a first class opponent in the wussier of the alternate Earths, the Scourge nonetheless were on a completely different level to most foes slayers had dealt with over the years. They had no archaic notions of chivalry holding them back and were rightly feared by all that had encountered them. Even the Circle of the Black Thorn treated them warily and tried to maintain as amiable a relationship as possible, they knew they could defeat the Scourge but it might take years and it would be expensive in terms of both blood and resources, frankly it was better for both groups to ignore the other so they did.

People fought back all the time, Scourge Soldiers fell in battle regularly but they easily replaced their losses and they always kept coming, never faltering from their righteous mission to purify demon-kind of the taint of humanity. They would ensure that when the final war to take back this world began that the demons that had lived and ruled here first would be uncorrupted and therefore victorious.

Well that was the plan anyway, reality as it often is was pretty far removed from there and all their ideological indoctrination, discipline and self-belief was frankly no substitute for the unpleasant truth that even the best soldiers can still be badly shaken and disorientated by a surprise attack and that more importantly it was bad policy to bring a knife to a gunfight.

The first of the Scourge to die had been chasing down a woman that had been trying to hide and were now making a desperate dash for the forest. The Commander had issued a well-received order that it was permissible to have some "fun" with the half-breed scum as long as you killed them afterwards and the soldier was spurred on by the opportunity that the female presented. He had nearly caught up on her when a black clad figure kneeling in nearby undergrowth suddenly popped up not ten yards away and shot him twice in the chest then once in the head with a silenced pistol dropping him like a stone.

The Lister female nearly ran into two more of the black clad figures and screamed before they could tackle her, one putting a hand over her mouth and the other flipping up the night vision goggles which had been concealing much of her face and putting a finger to her lips in the universal signal to be quiet.

Her facial features indicated she must have quite a lot of human DNA in the mix because she was barely recognisable as being of the Lister Clan and she gawped as more of the strangers started appearing, silently deploying into position to both left and right, the ones further away barely shadows in the deepening darkness than surrounded the glow given off by the burning township. The one holding a hand over her mouth released it once she stopped trying to struggle or make noise and the other one smiled and gave her a wink.

'Who are you?' the half-breed woman whispered, barely mouthing the words.

'Exterminators' the nearest replied. 'We heard you've got a Scourge Infestation' she said bringing up a small rifle and casually snapping a bayonet into place. She looked away and seemed to be listening to a muffled voice on a radio headset. 'Village is secure on all approaches' she announced quietly then listened again to a further transmission. 'They're only carrying melee weapons' she added, her smile broadening into a grin. 'Denise spotted the officer, she's going to take him down then we hit them hard.'

'Just like fucking Pylea in the glory days' the other said happily. 'Keep your head down or you might get it accidentally blown off' she advised the half-breed as the first girl lowered her night-vision goggles into place again. 'Oh Goddess I love my job' she said enthusiastically as she chambered a round and prepared to move.

Crawling along the beach nearby Denise stealthily reached an upturned rowing boat that was ideally placed as cover and rose to a squatting position behind it. A Scourge Commander, easily recognisable by his rank insignia was conversing with a trio of underlings whilst the rest of his troops searched through the remains of the buildings. Standing orders were to take any enemy officers alive for interrogation where practical and it was a great opportunity both to do that any try out the latest toy from Knox.

Denise unhooked a grenade from her belt and pulled the pin getting it ready to throw. The trigger mechanism was supposedly all fixed now after a couple of design failures and letting the lever spring away arming it.

A sudden burst of fire on the other side of the settlement indicated the second death of a Scourge Soldier that day as one practically tripped over a gunslayer that was moving into a firing position surprising both of them. The Commander's head snapped around just as Denise neatly pitched her grenade better than fifty yards right beside him who saw it land and opened his mouth to yell just before it went off. It wasn't half as visually spectacular as a nice Incendiary Grenade and nowhere near as noisy as high-explosive but it was very effective. A flash of electric blue light burst forth once a tiny explosive charge ruptured the casing and released the spell contained within.

An idea Illyria had bought with her from her original timeline the Neural-Intercept grenade was another triumph of techno-mystical hybrid weaponry, when it goes off every synapse in the brain of anything within roughly ten yards suddenly goes completely haywire, their entire nervous system suffers a sort of involuntary systems failure and after a burst of excruciating pain they hit the dirt unconscious though twitching violently as random neurons start to fire causing muscle-spasms. A few minutes after what Knox called the "blue flash of death" the brain would eventually "reboot" and the subject would regain consciousness with the mother of all migraines but otherwise unharmed except for the embarrassment of having likely soiled themselves.

'_Open fire'_ Vi was already bellowing into her headset microphone as the grenade flew through the air. Nearly two dozen carbines and a single light-machinegun opened up in response the latter sending a stream of tracer fire ripping into the Scourge ranks as Charlotte scythed it left and right. It wasn't as accurate as the carbines and was more likely to jam but a two-hundred round belt of ammunition made it all worthwhile as far as the girl was concerned.

Hundreds of rounds tore through the air in the first few seconds and chopped nearly a third of the entire Scourge contingent to pieces before they even registered that things had just gone very wrong indeed. Those girls who hadn't fired used the distraction to move up closer and began throwing grenades of their own white-phosphorus this time as much for the psychological effect of the blinding flash and shower of sparks as the horrific damage they caused.

'_Advance_' Vi ordered into her headset microphone and the gunslayers started to move. It said much for the training and professionalism of the Scourge that they were already starting to recover from the shock of the attack and had scattered and dropped for cover where they could. Other demons might have considered it cowering in fear but in reality getting out of the way of automatic fire is merely good policy and it meant the opposition would have to get in close to clear you out, the only problem was that the girls coming for them had plenty of experience at clearing out demons that _had_ gone to ground.

Bodies already littered the ground, the blood of slain Lister's now mixed with that of the Scourge as it soaked into the ground. The former had tried to protect their loved ones with machetes and farming implements and had failed against well-drilled troops with swords, and now the latter found themselves inordinately even more outclassed in the weaponry stakes.

Angel and Connor arrived just as a skirmish line of slayers began to move into the township, walking slowly carbines shouldered and firing short bursts to maintain their control of the situation. 'I think we should sit this one out' Connor stated as he watched one of the girls nearby giving cover-fire eject an empty magazine and reload her rifle, grinning maniacally as she did so and excitedly yelling "Woohoo!" as she started firing again.

'Good plan' Angel agreed wholeheartedly. Neither father nor son were usually the kind to sit back, Connor especially liked to throw himself into a fight at every opportunity, but they were both sane enough not to get in the way here. The gunslayers looked like they knew what they were doing and besides which there was an awful lot of supersonic lead being sprayed around.

The Scourge were built tough, nothing short of a head-shot would drop one immediately but the gunslayers were used to dealing with equally resilient foes on Pylea and practiced putting a full-auto burst through each opponent, their own superior strength making the control of the bucking weapon's recoil very easy as they advanced, smoothly gunning down anything in their path that looked hostile.

Such was the chaos of this kind of warfare however that it wasn't always possible to kill everything before it got close enough to be a threat and as Vi who was leading from the front rounded a corner a Scourge Soldier seemingly appeared from nowhere and swung a broadsword at her head. Superior slayer reaction times kicked in and she parried the blow away with her carbine, the impact knocking it away as she stepped back. Her opponent was trying for a second strike when Vi smoothly drew her pistol and shot him right between the eyes, her expression barely changing as she did so.

Her carbine lying on the floor clearly smashed and unusable Vi went old-school and unhooked her scythe from her backpack holding it in her left hand pistol in her right. 'You alright Chief?' a girl asked with concern.

'No I'm not' Vi replied. 'I signed for that rifle, they'll take it out of my pay' she joked. 'Come on gunslayers let's finish this!' she called out. 'Maintain fire discipline' she added, she didn't want anybody getting shot by their own side now that things were getting increasingly hectic.

By the time the Scourge Commander stopped twitching and regained consciousness it was all over bar the bayoneting of those of his troops who were either only wounded or playing possum, a short-lived cry of pain nearby caused him to open his eyes and he found himself looking up at several figures standing over him. One flipped up night-vision goggles to look him in the eyes, the fires of the burning huts providing enough light to barely do so. 'Slayers' he moaned, who else would a bunch of what were apparently teenage human females be?

'Well fuck me, it's the master race' the girl replied and with a vicious grin on her face bought the heel of her combat boot smashing down on his face breaking his nose and knocking several of his front teeth loose. Orders said to take him alive, completely undamaged wasn't part of the deal. 'Scourge faggot' she continued and gave him a couple more kicks in the ribs to keep him nicely subdued. 'Hey Chief, new grenades work' she told another slimmer girl who had just walked over, pulling off her helmet to reveal short red hair underneath. 'What do you want done with the other two here?' she asked, indicating the other two Scourge Soldiers that had been stunned by the Neural-Intercept Grenade and were now also showing signs of life.

Vi thought about it for a few seconds. 'They were here to slaughter everyone on the island including the children' she said eventually. 'When they can stand upright find some volunteers for a firing squad and put them up against a wall' she ordered.

The Commander coughed and spat out some of the blood in his mouth. 'You won't win' he gasped. 'We'll never give up' he declared, though he would have probably felt more confident about it if a couple of the girls hadn't started giggling in response before they tasered him and trussed him up with bailing wire.

**Shadow Valley – California – November 2007**

'All I'm saying is that yelling at Vi and Angel down the telephone wasn't all that constructive' Willow told Buffy calmly, trying to get the message across without causing another outburst of fury. Fortunately the door to Buffy's office was closed and the room was soundproof because she had really given the two of them a piece of her mind with plenty of volume backing it up.

'Dawn could have _died_' Buffy replied sharply. 'That portal thing wasn't tested, she went to an island full of killer demons, Angel had no right to ask her to do it and Vi shouldn't have gone along with it' she fumed.

'Dawn is an adult, it was her decision and it's not like they had a lot of time to think about it' Willow pointed out. 'They were already too late to save dozens of lives, what would you have done?' she asked rhetorically. 'I know you Buffy you would have snatched up your scythe and gone yourself because it's the right thing to do.'

'We're not talking about the cavalry arriving just in the nick of time to save the settlers like some old western' Buffy retorted, 'we're talking about my little sister' she said. 'She's like... she's like a part of Mom I still have left' she continued quietly. 'She should be here so I can look after her, not opening holes in the space-time whatchamacallit to go to warzones.'

'Continuum' Willow told her. 'And it's not like she got within a mile of any fighting' she noted. 'Dawn was probably in more danger most every week living on the hellmouth.'

Buffy scowled at her friend. 'Don't you go trying to rationalise this away' she said.

Willow sighed. 'Well at least you didn't yell at Dawn' she said.

'That took a lot of effort' Buffy admitted, 'especially when she told me she was just about to portal back to the island with a shipment of food and medical supplies' she continued. 'Yes I know that's a _good_ thing but I know her and now she's playing with her new toy they'll be no stopping her.'

'So I guess Enyo gets what she wanted' Willow replied evenly.

'You mean "Pathfinder" or whatever the hell she calls it' Buffy responded. 'If it wasn't for that Scourge Commander squealing it was Wolfram-Hart that told them about the island I'd think it was all a set up' she said. 'I thought it was a little too coincidental that Illyria junior and her megalomaniac mommy happened to be away when someone needed a portal in a hurry but I guess the story ties together, what was it that Giles called it?' she asked.

'War by proxy' Willow replied. 'We're not fighting each other face to face but we're both backing others to do it' she said. 'We armed the Pyleans and so Wolfram Hart are helping out anyone that opposes us' she continued. 'If it wasn't for the heads-up we got via Drusilla, the first we would have heard about Briole would have been the Scourge counting coup that they wiped out the people Angel and his people once saved.'

'Your enemies enemy is your friend' Buffy observed. 'I just wish I was certain of some of our friends.'

Willow nodded. 'Well if it helps your faith in your suspicious nature I found out something just before I walked in on your phonecall that you might find interesting' she said. 'I think Illyria and Enyo _are_ plotting just not the way you think they were.'

Buffy let her head slump. 'Okay Will, what's the news?' she asked.

'Well you know that now we're set up here you planned to go ahead with the idea of electing an Advisory Council of Slayers' she began.

'Right' Buffy replied.

Willow looked out of the window. 'Guess who's already put her name forward as a candidate?' she asked. 'Red hair, weird blue eyes...'

Buffy blinked. 'You mean Enyo' she responded. 'But she can't she's...'

'Not a slayer and therefore not eligible?' Willow interrupted. 'Okay you could argue that but _Rebecca Wyndham-__Pryce_ is a slayer and _that's_ the name on the nomination form.'

'She's not human' Buffy pointed out.

Willow crossed her arms. 'She's got the slayer gene, she was activated, she's got a soul and she can wield a scythe' she noted. 'Her power is demonic but technically so is yours, taken from a demon and put into the first slayer by the Shadow-Men.'

'It is _so_ not the same' Buffy contended.

'That's your opinion but the fact remains that unless we retrospectively changed the rules to specifically exclude her, her name is going to be on the ballot paper' Willow told her.

Buffy mouthed an obscenity then her expression shifted to a smirk. 'She still has to win enough votes' she said. 'What are the chances?' she asked rhetorically.

'Geez Buffy think of all the unsuitable people that _have_ won elections' Willow replied evenly. 'She's already up and running on her campaign and it's clever because she's making a joke out of the issue that others will try to use against her' she said. 'That's how I knew about it, one of the girls was laughing about a poster someone had stuck on the notice board' she said. 'It looked just like a real Bush/Cheney one except it's got the crossed scythes logo instead of the Stars and Stripes in the corner.'

'What did it say?' Buffy asked.

'Rebecca/Enyo 2004' Willow replied. 'Why vote for the lesser of two evils?' she quoted.

Buffy laughed despite herself then grimaced. 'I've got this vision of Illyria hiring Karl Rove as an election advisor for her hellspawn' she said.

Willow rolled her eyes. 'Oh come on she's not _that_ evil' she replied.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_Sorry for the delay in this chapter and the fact it's a tad shorter than normal. I'm wrestling with writers block at the moment :-(_

_This chapter may get rewritten later when I get my muse back, I'm not sure it's up to my normal standard (which isn't necessarily too great to start with)._


	15. Chapter 15

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****F****IFTEEN**

**Hyperion**** Hotel – Los Angeles – November 2004**

'Okay I give' Faith began, 'what the hell is up with you?' she asked. 'You've been giving me those looks all day' she told her "daughter" who was currently practicing her sword play in the gym with the oversized broadsword she had bought with her from the future.

Minus the red streaks in her hair which meant Rebecca was driving solo rather than sharing with Enyo at present, the girl stopped slicing the sword through the air and turned to Harmony who was the only other person in the gym that night, the vampire working out on a treadmill listening to undoubtedly dire music on an iPOD. 'HARMONY' she called out loud enough to be heard.

'What?' the vampire asked, pulling the headphones from her ears.

'Get lost' Rebecca told her.

'Bossy says I need to get in shape for our mission' Harmony protested.

'The shape you'll be in will be a pancake when I drop you out of a portal fifteen thousand feet above LA' Rebecca threatened.

Harmony could take a hint and grumbling above complaining to Angel she picked up her stuff and headed off to take a shower.

After a moments hesitation Rebecca directed an icy disapproving glare in Faith's direction. 'If I'd known what you were going to be doing when you invited me and the girls out to that club last night I wouldn't have gone' she stated coldly.

'What?' Faith asked in confusion.

'That... dancing, if you can call it that' Rebecca replied putting her sword down. 'All you needed was a pole to gyrate around and you could have made yourself a couple of hundred bucks' she declared. 'I thought you were going to give that guy that tried picking you up a lapdance' she told Faith indignantly.

Faith felt her jaw drop, finding herself largely at a loss for words she eventually ground out another "What?" and stared at Rebecca incredulously.

'I've never been so humiliated in my life' Rebecca told her. 'There I am trying to socialise with the girls back from Pylea, make friends, maybe bag some votes, and meanwhile my Mom is slutting it up surrounded by drunken, horny retards' she said. 'Enyo wanted us to drag you out of there, it was so embarrassing, you don't see Illyria doing that sort of thing' she declared.

Collecting enough of her wits to become very angry Faith raised a finger and pointed it at her. 'Now see here Missy...' she began.

'Does Dad know you behave like that in public?' Rebecca interrupted.

'He likes it well enough in _private_' Faith snapped back, the fury written across her face causing Rebecca to flinch. 'Who the hell are you to judge me?' Faith snarled.

Rebecca pouted. 'You're my Mom' she said, bottom lip starting to tremble. It was ludicrous but despite the power of a God she still suddenly felt like she was eight and being chastised. 'I'm sorry' she added sheepishly, 'it's just... it's just that I never knew you were such a...'

'Slut?' Faith interrupted Rebecca this time.

'I didn't mean that' Rebecca told her apologetically. 'Not really' she added.

'Guess what, there's a lot of people around that would agree' Faith told her. 'I don't know where you got the idea that I was some kind of chaste virgin or some shit before I met Wes but I wasn't' she said. 'Now I'll admit I still get off on being able to make guys horny, retards or otherwise, but the only one who gets into my pants these days is your Dad so I ain't gonna take any crap like this from you' she declared.

Rebecca broke eye contact and looked at the floor. 'You're not how I imagined you were at this age' she said. 'You were always...' she began then paused. 'Sorry' she said 'Enyo's got a theory and she's telling me about it' she explained then looked up again. 'You didn't want me to think of you like you think of your Mom' she said. 'I think I got a sanitised version of your life story growing up' she said.

Faith blinked, Christ that sounded plausible, she thought to herself. 'Wanna hear the truth?' she asked eventually.

'I suppose I'd better' Rebecca responded quietly.

'Not worried you'll end up thinking I'm a loser skank?'Faith asked, voice a lot steadier than she expected it to be.

'You're not a loser Mom' Rebecca replied forcefully. 'You'll never lose me and I'll rearrange the face of anyone that ever calls you names' she vowed.

Faith could help but smile. 'You called me a slut earlier' she pointed out.

Rebecca nodded and to Faith's shock her right hand suddenly shot up smacked herself on the nose. 'Ouch' she exclaimed. 'Godammit that wasn't funny' she said, clutching it.

'What the hell was that?' Faith exclaimed.

'Enyo's idea of a joke' Rebecca replied still holding her nose. 'She just hijacked my arm and now she's laughing her ass off in here.'

'Didn't that hurt _her_ too?' Faith queried, looking on in amazement.

'Yeah but she must have thought it was worth it' Rebecca replied, checking her hand. 'Blood, great' she moaned. 'I'm going to get you for this' she growled, sort of at herself really.

'I thought you were tough?' Faith queried, checking the tiny trickle of off-colour blood running from Rebecca's nose.

'I am' the girl replied. 'If I hit _you_ that hard it would have sent you flying across the room' she told Faith. 'Enyo can be a total bitch sometimes' she said.

Faith dug around in the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a handkerchief. 'It's clean' she said offering it.

Rebecca took the piece of cloth and wiped up the blood which had already stopped flowing, she healed fast. 'Didn't matter if it was clean or not' she said. 'I can't catch anything' she maintained, 'my immune system would sneer at the Ebola virus.'

'Can I catch anything from _you_?' Faith asked nervously, accepting the handkerchief back gingerly.

'No' Rebecca denied honestly, there were diseases from the Primordium era which she could have been infected by if they still existed but they likely wouldn't have been dangerous to humans, the physiology was too different. 'Well you might possibly pick up a bad case of maternal instinct maybe?' she said with a gentle smile.

Faith frowned. 'Is there a vaccine for that?' she asked tongue-in-cheek.

'Daughter who can be a horrible bitch?' Rebecca suggested half-seriously.

'I should be safe then' Faith responded deadpan.

The girl looked remorseful. 'You know you _are_ my Mom so you do have the right to tell me off and stuff' she said. 'Illyria does it to Enyo all the time' she noted. 'Enyo doesn't like it but she listens and usually does what she's told.'

'I think Illyria adjusted better to suddenly having a little girl who wasn't so little, or completely a girl' Faith replied. 'Maybe she's more the Mommy type than I am?' she suggested.

Rebecca narrowed her eyes. 'No offence Mom, but among the other stuff you didn't tell me growing up, does insanity run in the Lehane family?' she asked.

Faith crossed her arms. 'Okay I guess that was a joke' she said, 'but we might want to start with what the prison shrink had to say about that.'

'You were in _prison_?' Rebecca exclaimed aghast.

'Oh crap' Faith responded with a grimace, 'I suppose I should have broken that to you...' she continued then petered out as she saw the grin widening on Rebecca's fast. 'You're yanking my chain now aren't you?' she said.

Rebecca giggled. 'Yeah I knew that one' she admitted.

'So you didn't have a problem with me being a convicted murderer but thinking I was a slut bothered you?' Faith asked flatly.

'Mom I'm a _mass_-murderer' Rebecca replied honestly. 'I killed hundreds, thousands of Jasmine Cultists during the Dimension Wars and they didn't deserve it, not really, they were brainwashed not evil' she said. 'If I slept I'd have nightmares.'

'You did what you had to do' Faith told her.

'Not always' Rebecca admitted, 'sometimes I killed for nothing more than revenge for the girls we lost' she said. 'You asked who the hell I was to judge you earlier and the truth is I've no right to judge you whatsoever' she added quietly, eyes unfocused seeming to look into the distance. 'I love you Mom' she said after a few seconds.

Faith took Rebecca into a hug, all the practice with Dana was paying off she supposed because although uncomfortable it didn't bother her anything like as much as it did only a couple of years back. 'I have trouble believing it when people say that to me' Faith told the girl softly. 'I want to believe it, like I want to believe people are my friends, but there's always a doubt, like a feeling I'm being played.'

Rebecca tried not to squeeze back too hard. 'If you want proof what a good Mom you were I never doubted you loved me _ever_' she said.

'Sounds like I was a perfect Mom then?' Faith queried.

'Now that would be taking things too far' Rebecca replied. 'I've eaten your Clam Chowder' she said, in the back of her mind Enyo was shuddering with the recollection too.

'I cooked?' Faith asked in surprise.

'Not by most definitions of the word you didn't' Rebecca told her. 'It got easier to take once I merged with Enyo, I can drink drain cleaner these days' she said. 'And sometimes I had to after the chowder' she added, trying not to laugh.

'Guess I shouldn't try to make the Lehane Family Boston Clam Chowder then' Faith replied. She'd always liked it herself on the very rare occasions her own mother had been sober and parentally minded enough to cook.

'Damn I really am improving this timeline' Rebecca responded joyfully.

**Wolfram and Hart Building – Los Angeles – December 2004**

Berith turned in his chair and offered the last of the chips to Ed the Leader of the Fell Brethren making a mental note to have more snacks laid out on the conference table next time they had a long meeting. The demon took the last few chips from the small bowl being held out to him whereupon the Old One put it down, broke off a piece and popped it into his mouth.

The sight and sound of the Lord of the Covenant crunching on the splintering ceramic, swallowing it and then reaching out for some more certainly had an effect on their guest and with a nonplussed, not to say mildly disturbed, look on his face he ended his seemingly endless speech about "sacred duty" and "traitorous human-lovers". Standing nearby, and not sat at the table in due deference to their visitors ideological hang-ups, Lilah couldn't help but smirk and noted a similar reaction on the faces of both Ed the Grand Potentate of the Fell Breathren and Cyvus Vail. The Supreme Commander of the Scourge might be a big cheese in some circles but the Black Thorn, currently chaired by Baal Berith, was _not_ one of them

'We revered your kind Old One' the leader of the Scourge told Berith. 'Rulers of an era before the plague of humanity, pure demons all' he said. 'And now here you are looking like one' he said, indicating Berith's entirely appearance, even his red hair was a natural human shade.

Berith swallowed his second portion of bowl and morphed his appearance. Brown eyes became crystalline crimson, hair becoming almost fluorescent red and forehead and patches of skin changing colour also. 'Better?' he asked. 'I try not to judge on appearances myself but I'm willing to make allowances for those that can't look beyond the surface' he said. 'Nice uniform by the way' he added. 'Nothing says demon like a set of clothes styled after a bunch of defeated human fascists.'

'You mock me?' the Scourge Leader snarled.

'Yes' Berith replied. 'Plan to do something about it?' he asked. 'No didn't think so' he continued as their guest shrank back in his chair.

The Archduke Sebassis took the glass of blood being offered by his attendant slave, and took a sip, savouring the flavour. There was nothing better than having it straight from the vein he thought to himself as the slave made sure the plug in his wrist had been put back properly. 'Can you please explain again why we have to put up with the presence of this maniac?' he asked Berith flatly ignoring the reaction of the Scourge Commander to being described that way.

'I must agree with Sebassis' Izzerial interjected. 'We have long maintained a healthy distance between ourselves and the Scourge' he said. 'We all know that humans are inferior, but only an irrational lunatic seeks their total extermination or even worse hunts fellow demons who just happen to be cursed with a human or two in their family line' he said. 'Some of my most reliable minions have some human DNA in their genes, they should be pitied for it not persecuted' he declared.

'Hear hear' Cyvus Vail agreed. He didn't like humans either but the Scourge were quite clearly unhinged.

'I didn't come here to be abused by a pathetic clique of self-serving cowards obsessed with money and power who have abandoned their heritage' the Scourge Leader declared.

'No you came here to get help from this self-serving clique who are more interested in the future than they are harking back to a golden age that never was' Berith responded. 'The only difference in my day was that before the humans came along it was demon clans fighting demon clan and we were more divided for the lack of a unifying common enemy' he said.

The Supreme Commander pointed a finger at Lilah. 'You call them the enemy yet your own second-in-command is one' he pointed out.

'Trust me, I'd rather have Lilah at my side than risk her being against me' Berith replied. 'If we all had a failing it's that we underestimated humanity' he told the room receiving nods from many. 'Our people rightly revile them but in our heart-of-hearts we also fear them as well we should.'

'_Fear_ them?' the Scourge officer exclaimed. 'Preposterous' he said dismissively.

'How many troops have you lost to the slayers and their allies?' Berith asked rhetorically. 'Sebassis here has lost thousands in the last year' he noted. 'We know what happened on Briole after we let on that's where the Lister Clan was holing out' he said. 'Less than thirty slayers armed with human weapons slaughtered what was it, three or four times their number of Scourge?' he queried. Judging by the expression on their guest's face it was even more Berith decided.

'Humans are weak, pitiful scum' Sebassis stated. 'Their weapons on the other hand are too effective for comfort and they get better with each passing year' he added.

'Right and that's where we can help you' Berith told the Scourge Commander. 'Your troops are already more a human style army than most so isn't it time to take the next step and adopt the tools of your enemy?' he asked. 'Two of the Legions of the Archduke are already well on the way to being fully equipped with modern firearms and their training continues apace' he said. 'For my part I intend to modernise _all_ of my own Legions to match' he continued. 'I know your forces would never accept the tutelage of the human mercenaries that work for Wolfram Hart but we can offer demon advisors as well as supply you with arms' he offered.

The Supreme Commander of the Scourge frowned. 'A very generous offer but what do you get out of it?' he asked.

Berith chuckled. 'We get an army to fight against the slayers' he replied honestly. 'They're uppity' he said, 'we can't have that.'

'Fight them yourself then' the Scourger responded.

'We don't want to lose our own troops and we don't give a shit about yours' Berith told him honestly. There was another issue too, with the threat of Jasmine and the First Evil hanging over them they didn't want slayer losses to be too high either, they wanted them weakened but still ready for the fight when it came. The scourge weren't strong enough to beat the slayers only help contain their influence and divert their attention.

'Moral cowardice and half-measures have long been the trademark of this much vaunted though overestimated circle and it's masters' the Scourge Commander observed.

'If I ripped his head off do you think his successor would be more reasonable?' Berith asked the other members of the Black Thorn.

'Worth a try anyway' Izzerial replied.

'That I despise you does not mean I am foolish enough to let that visceral reaction colour my judgements' the Scourge Commander stated. 'We will accept your armaments and training' he agreed. 'What are the arrangements and terms?' he asked.

After negotiations finished the Commander was shown to the elevator which would take him down to the underground parking garage where a company limousine waited to return him to his temporary quarters nearby. As he rode down alone he ignored the flash of light next to him and the figure that appeared from it just as he had when the figure had first appeared some days before. 'Don't acknowledge my being here' the figure said. 'They can only see me and hear me if I want them to' it said.

The Scourge Commander didn't move or say anything as instructed, merely listened as the figure which appeared as one of his fallen soldiers stood at parade rest continued talking. 'Take their guns and their training' it told him, 'but don't let them contaminate your thinking' it advised. 'When the time is right you'll have _my_ forces as allies and you know _my_ plans for humanity, subjugation followed by total extermination just as they deserve.'

The merest nod and an enigmatic smile from the Commander was all the First Evil needed to know he had finally found somebody on the same wavelength as him.

**Shadow Valley – California – December 2004**

'I mean I'm grateful for the job offer and the money is fantastic' the man told Fred who had passed him the sugar to put in his coffee, 'but are you sure I'm the guy you're after?' he asked looking around the canteen bemused by the sight of hordes of excited teenage girls. 'I mean there's got to be plenty of other people better than me you could hire' he said.

Fred smiled. 'There's plenty of physicists with better qualifications on paper' she admitted, 'but how many of them know demons exist and are comfortable enough with the knowledge to hang out in a karaoke bar with them?' she asked.

'More to the point' Knox interjected. 'You might not have published but we know you're so far ahead of the rest of the world in localised temporal distortion its unreal' he said enthusiastically.

'Hi sweetheart' Amanda greeted Knox walking over. 'This the new geek you were telling me about?' she asked, standing behind his chair and leaning over to give him a kiss making Knox shuffle awkwardly in his chair. They were sort of an item now but the age difference still embarrassed him slightly, she wasn't even eighteen yet.

'Amanda this is Gene Rainy' Knox introduced them. 'We're still trying to get him to sign up' he added.

The slayer nodded. 'I hear you nearly ended the world once' she asked, 'Froze time dead right?'

Gene flushed red. 'It wasn't deliberate' he told her. 'And if you're going to be fair the Lubber Demons played a big part in that' he added defensively.

'Hey, chill' Amanda told him. 'Don't worry about it, nearly ending the world by accident or even deliberately doesn't even make you all that unusual around here'she reassured him. 'We need more science types' she continued. 'My guy here doesn't get enough time off' she said, affectionately stroking Knox's hair.

'Ideally we're hoping that with Gene's equations and his technical schematics plus Illyria's help we might be able to find a technological means of reproducing her time distortion abilities' Fred noted. 'We found the basic groundwork for the project in the data Enyo bought back from the future and it was a very promising line of research.'

'If we can get Gene here to head it up' Knox added. 'It's his field, I'm good with techno-mystical stuff and Fred is the all-time number one at theoretical and applied Portal dynamics but neither of us can make time their bitch like he can.'

The physicist blushed again. 'I think you're overestimating me' he said.

'Nuh uh' Fred responded. 'I've been hoping to work with you for years' she said. 'Ever since Angel told me the story' she continued. 'If you know anyone else good we'll hire them too.'

Gene looked thoughtful. 'I had a friend at the University' he said, 'Val, she works at MIT now' he said. 'It's boring the crap out of her' he said. 'I get emails from her all the time saying so.'

'Never a boring day with us' Fred said brightly.

'Unless we're boring a hole in something's head' Knox noted. 'Not that we do that sort of thing too often' he added quickly in response to the look of reproach on Fred's face. 'You don't know any biologists or bio-chemists do you?' he asked Gene, changing the subject.

'Sorry, only ever worked with physicists and the occasional nuclear-chemist' Gene replied apologetically before taking a sip of his coffee. 'And that's really the _weekly _salary not the monthly?' he asked.

Fred grinned. 'Plus we get overtime if we have to put in extra hours' she said.

'Job satisfaction of helping to fight evil thrown in for free' Amanda told him, 'better karma to combat soulless demons than work for a soulless corporation' she said. 'Hey you might even luck out and get yourself one of the hot chicks with the pointy sticks like the last labcoat wearing nerd that joined up' she said, playfully kissing Knox again.

'That's not a guaranteed part of the job offer' Fred quickly pointed out.

'You should have let him sign the contract and then told him that' Amanda joked. 'We only accept them if they're signed in blood' she said seriously, 'they explained that right' she asked.

Gene blinked.

'Only kidding' Amanda told him with a grin.

'You know at my last job that actually _was_ how things were done' Knox told them with a shrug.

'Microsoft right?' Gene queried.

**New Capital –**** North ****Pylea**** – December 2004**

Holding it open Dawn was the last one to step through the Portal just after the last of the Lister Demon refugees. She had already made a couple of trips here to try it out and make sure the Pathfinder device on her arm was properly calibrated but the sight of the twin suns still took her breath away as much as it did all those she had bought through.

'It's really another world' one of the Listers exclaimed, looking around. They were standing at the edge of a small bustling city.

'No Scourge' Angel told them having gone through first. 'We've already talked to the local authorities and you'll be given land to farm' he said. 'All you need to do is follow local customs, pay your taxes and try not to sing and you'll be fine' he told them.

'Why would anyone give us land?' one of the Lister's asked.

'Me and the Princess that rules here, well we're tight' Angel replied with a smile. 'Honestly, she wants to help you she knows it's what an old friend would have wanted' he told them.

'So we're really free' another asked. 'We can go anywhere we like? No more hiding from humans or the scourge?' he asked.

'Everyone is equal here' Angel told them. 'It's in the new constitution' he said. 'They've only just got through a war and everything isn't as organised as it should be but if you want to make this place home for your clan it can be' he told them.

Angel led the ragged column of refugees carrying everything they owned with them into town, they received some curious stares not being a native species but for the most part the people ignored them.

The sudden sight of a human in a military uniform carrying a rifle caused instant panic however. Rieff immediately stepped in front of Rayna protectively, and other Listers were on the verge of flight when to their astonishment the human approached a demon wearing the same uniform and _saluted_him, calling the demon "Sir" before reporting an uneventful patrol around the town.

'Pylean Defence Forces' Angel told them. 'You get human soldiers commanded by demons and demons commanded by humans, they're fully integrated and promotion is by merit not species' he explained. 'If you want the cynical explanation they're all far too busy hating the assholes down in South Pylea to worry about hating each other' he said. 'This place is free because the people here made it so and they're pretty damn determined to keep it that way' he said.

Rieff looked around, it was so primitive compared to the cities back home but it was still more than he could have ever dared dreamed of.

Two weeks later he went to a recruiting office and joined the PDF, vowing as he took the oath and signed his name on the recruiting papers that if those evil, fanatical pricks down south wanted to come up here and take _his_ freedom they had better think again.

* * *

**_Note from the author:_**

_The results of the **Shades of Grey** fanfic awards came out and I didn't place in either category I was entered into (Gen Fic and Alternate Universe), but on the plus side in the last week **Compelled to Play Again** was nominated for both the annual **CoA** awards at Twisting the Hellmouth and in the **Serenity of the Hellmouth Awards** (SOTHA) so maybe I'll do better there. I'll put relevant links on my profile here._

_This fanfic runs on reviews (and Award nominations :-p )_


	16. Chapter 16

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****SIXTEEN**

**Shadow Valley – California – December 2004**

Buffy looked around the spacious command bunker again and then narrowing her eyes fixed them on Xander. 'Giles had the DVD and showed me the film' she said. 'He's right this place _does_ look suspiciously like the War Room from Doctor Strangelove' she told him. 'Right down to the Big Board on the wall' she added indicating the huge LCD screen which was currently showing a map of the world with red dots indicating the locations of deployed slayer teams right across the planet.

Xander remained expressionless. 'Mere coincidence Mein Führer,' he replied, right hand snapping up into a Nazi salute for a brief moment before he beat it with his left and pretended to force it back down.

'I like the decor anyhow' Vi noted, it was the first time she had been in the bunker having only arrived the day before with the bulk of the gunslayers. 'The crossed scythes on the wall behind Buffy are bitching' she said appreciatively.

'They are aren't they?' Buffy agreed, turning in her black leather chair at the head of the long heavy oak table. 'We've still got like a hundred and fifty of them sitting in crates waiting to get powered up, I thought we could get _some_ use out of the things' she said.

'Could I get a couple for my office?' Vi asked hopefully. 'I've ordered some flags with the same design and they'd look great high on the wall between two flagpoles with my desk in front of them.'

'Flags?' Buffy queried.

'Battle flags, you know like Regimental Colours and Pennants' Vi responded. 'The crossed scythes with a Fairbairn-Sykes superimposed on the crossing point' she explained.

'A fair what?'

'A Fairbairn-Sykes Commando Dagger' Vi explained reaching down under the table to her ankle and emerging with one which she showed Buffy.

'I just call it a knife' Buffy admitted with a shrug.

'It's a design classic' Vi told her, replacing it in its concealed sheath. 'Mr Stirling told me he actually met one of the designers, William Fairbairn, during World War Two when he went to a course in knife fighting the guy was teaching' she said then looking around at the lack of interest she looked down at the table sheepishly. 'Well I think it's a cool story' she said sheepishly.

'She'll be raving about bullets next' Amanda joked.

'6.5 millimetre Grendel all the way baby' Vi responded, playing along slightly. 'I got to try out the prototype of our new carbine rechambered for it earlier' she said. 'Wicked cool cartridge' she opined. 'Knox told me the production run in the factory in China starts in a few weeks' she said. 'One of the girls was so excited she kissed Knox' she said.

'Which one?' Amanda asked coldly.

'I'd better not say' Vi replied with a grin. 'The production versions are all going to have a single-shot grenade launcher fitted under the barrel' she noted. 'They can fire the same grenades as our existing six-shot launchers so they can fire the stake rounds as well as high-explosive.'

'Bad news for any Turok'Han we might run into' Xander noted appreciatively. 'M203's?' he queried, his own M16A2 mounted one although the last time it was used in anger was when Anya used it to blow up an unfortunate rabbit.

'Nope, AG36's' Vi told him. 'The stake rounds were too long to load into an M203, it doesn't slide forward far enough' she said.

'And to think' Willow observed, 'she was such a quiet inoffensive girl in a quirky woolly hat when we first met her, now she's Rambo's meaner little sister' she joked.

'I still wear a woolly hat sometimes' Vi responded. 'It's just khaki these days' she told them. 'Better for the image' she said, 'and avoiding sniper fire' she added.

'Okay enough talking guns' Buffy ordered. 'If we wanted to do that we'd have asked Wesley to drive up from LA' she said. 'Next order of business is recruitment' she noted checking the agenda. 'Giles' she said, handing over to the watcher.

Giles nodded. 'As you know now that we're emplaced in our brand-new and frankly beyond state-of-the-art facilities we've begun to expand our staff and finalise positions for existing members' he said. 'Winifred has confirmed that physicist Gene Rainy has accepted the job offer and is joining our Research and Development in January along with his associate whose name escapes me right now' he announced.

'Val' Amanda told him. 'She sounds okay according to her resume, at least Knox was impressed enough' she said.

'Thank you Amanda' Giles replied, 'Willow is also expecting new personnel in her division' he continued.

'Two witches from the Devon Coven' Willow told the group. 'Both Giles and myself know both of them from our time there, they've got the skills we need and they'll be easier to handle than my current staff' she said with a chuckle.

'So how is Amy?' Buffy checked.

'Obstinate but weakening' Willow answered. 'Deep down she's not really bad, she just overdid the magicks and it warped her personality, I'm helping to twist it back' she told them, 'just like people did for me.'

'I always thought she was pretty nice before she drifted over to the dark side' Xander commented, 'especially in her pre-rat days.'

'Yeah, I thought for a while she had possible scoobie potential' Buffy agreed. 'Lousy cheerleader though' she noted.

'Looked good in the outfit' Xander said. 'Well she did' he told Anya who had glared at him.

'Teenage infatuations with girls in short skirts aside' Giles interrupted, 'both the mercenaries and Stirling return this month from Pylea' he said. 'The latter's suggestion that we employ Ashton and Perković on a long-term basis has been approved as you know and they will form the basis of the Council's new Retrieval and Special Operations Team' he said, 'along with a former associate member of the team that has been invited to return to our employ.'

Buffy chuckled. 'Another in a long list of people that once tried to kill me being given a job' she said.

'Say again' Xander asked in surprise.

'Do you remember when the old Team tried to abduct Faith again in LA when I was there?' she asked. 'In the end they tried to machinegun both of us from a helicopter' she said. 'We just rehired the guy that was flying it' she told him. 'Oh yeah, and we've bought a helicopter' she added, 'going to use it for shuttling people back and forth from LA when we aren't using it for anything else.'

'Bell 412EP' Anya announced checking her notes, 'it cost a fortune I hope we get plenty of use out of it' she said disparagingly.

'Oh come on Anya, anything less than a hundred million is petty change these days' Xander joked.

'It's a good thing I'm in charge of the accounts and have to sign off on purchases above ten thousand dollars is all I can say' Anya responded. 'You need a firm grip on the financial reins or the whole enterprise will run away with you' she said. 'Honestly I had to tear up a request for a sports car the other day' she said.

'I was supposed to get that blasted Jaguar a year ago!' Giles snarled.

'Not that one, Buffy told me to approve _that_ one' Anya replied. 'Andrew wanted a Corvette' she told him.

'Oh, right that's different' Giles said. 'Tell the little oik to save up and buy his own bloody automobile.'

'He said he would but his savings have been taking a hammering because Kennedy and the Cleveland girls insisted on a whole new wardrobe before they'd go anywhere with him' Anya replied. 'I gave him an advance on his wages so he could buy something more within his budget.'

'That was nice of you' Willow told her.

'He was whiny' Anya explained. 'If I can mention a couple of other matters relating to our financial and business interests current predictions are better than they were last month' she said. 'By 2010 even with worst case scenario predictions of operational spending we should have a share portfolio worth in excess of a thousand million with industrial holdings and other investments valued slightly in excess of that' she said. 'Liquid assets will remain stable at a hundred million to cover day-to-day expenses.'

'Over two _billion_ dollars?' Vi exclaimed, she had been very much out of the loop whilst in Pylea.

'Euros not Dollars' Anya replied. 'The greenback isn't going through a good time at present and is going to continue to slide against other currencies for the next few years' she said. 'We've configured our capital accordingly, we're also investing heavily in oil, you'd be amazed what the price of a barrel of crude is going to end up as' she said, shaking her head sadly.

'And the potential profits when you _do_ know that kind of thing are equally amazing' Xander said. 'It's ka-ching, ka-ching all the way to the Swiss Bank.'

'Plus the Caymans, Channel Islands and a dozen other tax havens with nice secretive banking systems' Anya added brightly. 'And you'll all be pleased to know that as of next Monday SlayerCorp will be formally in existence.'

'SlayerCorp?' Vi asked.

'The front for our business dealings, an international conglomerate with offices in Europe, China and the United States' Anya told her.

'Couldn't we have come up with a better name?' Vi asked.

'We're named for our company founder, the late Mr Victor Michael Percival Robert Slayer who tragically went missing presumed killed during the collapse of Sunnydale into a sinkhole' Buffy told her.

'V.M.P.R Slayer?' Vi responded with a groan.

'If anybody checks they'll find birth certificates, medical records, social security numbers, bank account details everything' Willow told her. 'Much of the physical documentation obviously went missing when the town was destroyed though.'

'He was a recluse that lived in a friends mansion on Crawford Street and never went out as his "friend" will testify if anyone goes to his hotel in LA to ask' Giles said with a chuckle. 'As per Mr Slayer's last will and testament, after his death all his assets were placed in the hands of a board of trustees who don't look too dissimilar from a number of people sitting not a million miles from where you are' he announced. 'We even have photographs of the man on some of the company stationary' he said. 'Astonishingly he looks surprisingly like Quentin Travers' he deadpanned, 'you'd think they were twins.'

'Amazing resemblance' Buffy agreed, trying not to laugh. They had asked Stephen if it was okay and he had said it was fine, commenting that his Dad had more of a sense of humour than they might think and would himself consider the whole thing very funny.

Willow laughed and then checked her wristwatch. 'I've got a class to teach and need to prepare some notes beforehand' she said. 'Can we cover the rest of the items on the agenda tomorrow?' she requested.

'There is one thing I wanted to make sure to bring up' Giles responded. 'Our retaliation against Wolfram Hart for the Briole incident' he explained. 'We think we've come up with an ideal solution' he said.

'Burning down their LA Offices?' Vi asked hopefully.

'Nothing so crude' Giles told her. 'As you know Wolfram Hart attempted to get one over on us indirectly by providing intelligence to the Scourge enabling them to attack a demon clan that was in itself indirectly affiliated to ourselves through Angel and AI Investigations' he said. 'Since it _wasn't_ a direct attack, and given that we ourselves are trying to avoid direct confrontation it would be imprudent to escalate the situation by acting against them ourselves.'

Buffy nodded. 'So we're going to retaliate indirectly' she said. 'Angel is handling the issue' she said then she pursed her lips as something occurred to her as she caught a glimpse of the "big board" on the wall. 'In Doctor Strangelove wasn't the General who deliberately started World War Three named Ripper?' she asked Giles. 'That's not where you got your nickname from is it?' she asked curiously.

'Don't be silly Buffy' Giles told her, rolling his eyes. 'Before Willow has to leave I'd just like to add one more item to the discussion' he said. 'It has come to my attention that despite encouragement to drink water, or failing that the ghastly Gatorade substance, too many of the girls are still consuming soft drinks after exercise and it's simply not good for them' he declared.

'Want me to give them a talk?' Buffy asked.

'Yes I do' Giles told her. 'They must ensure the purity of their precious bodily fluids' he declared, hoping fervantly that not just Xander and Buffy were going to get the joke.

**Demon Bar – Cleveland – December 2004**

Andrew sat quietly nursing his drink and watching the clientele walk by the booth where he was drinking alone. This wasn't his first mission out alone since he arrived in Cleveland but there hadn't been enough so far that he didn't still feel a tremor of excitement inside whenever he locked eyes on a particularly hostile looking demon or vampire and then the feeling of triumph when they broke eye contact first.

A man in an expensive, flashy suit with too much jewellery went by leading two girls with sallow complexions, short skirts entirely unsuitable for Ohio in December and too much makeup. 'Hold up there' Andrew told him the trio doing as they were told. 'Weren't you told that pimping out to vampires was strictly verboten?' he asked politely.

'Hey man, they don't kill the girls or anything and my honeys ain't strung out on Orpheus or any other shit' the man replied. 'I'm just providing a victim-free service' he maintained.

'Victim free, right' Andrew replied sarcastically. 'Even if they don't kill them they _always_ fancy a snack afterwards and help themselves to a pint of blood' he said. 'Those two look pale enough already' he opined, indicating the girls. 'Take a hike or I'll have a couple of feminist slayers with strong moral view on prostitution break your legs' he threatened.

The pimp glared at Andrew. 'You ain't the law' he said.

'We're above the law' Andrew told him flatly. 'Get lost, I won't tell you again' he practically growled, glad he'd been practising that. As the pimp led the girls away one of them turned to Andrew and smiled at him gratefully, she hated doing vampires. 'And buy them some warm clothes you cheap bastard' Andrew called after the pimp before taking up his drink again.

A couple walked in and sat down at the bar opposite Andrew's stall. He was a vampire Andrew decided but the girl was human, she was overdoing the makeup too but more Goth than hooker he thought, vampire groupie Andrew thought to himself with a sigh, late teens or maybe early twenties.

The vampire bought two drinks and while the girl remained at the bar with hers, turning on her barstool to watch the vampire picked his up and walked across to sit uninvited across from Andrew. 'You the watcher?' he asked. 'Andrew?'

'Call me Wells' Andrew told him. 'What do you want vampyre?' he asked, continuing to enjoy his drink, Jack Daniels grew on you after a while although he couldn't understand how the hell Wesley could drink it like water and not fall over.

'Vampyre?' the uninvited drinking companion repeated. 'Who the hell says that?' he asked laughing, setting off the girl who giggled.

'Nerds mainly' another voice answered causing Andrew to shift his gaze from the vampire to another figure that had just walked up from the other gloomier end of the bar.

Andrew's jaw dropped as he also dropped his shot glass onto his lap, unfortunately it was still half full. 'Hello Warren, slash, The First' he stammered out. 'Long time no see' he continued, reaching for a paper napkin to mop the whisky from both his jeans and where it had also splashed onto the long black coat he was wearing.

'Hey boss' the vampire greeted the First. 'Babe this is the new boss I was telling you about' he addressed the girl. 'Real classy, Old Money you know' he said.

'The oldest' the First agreed. 'So how have you been Andrew?' he asked.

'I've been keeping out of trouble' Andrew told him. 'I only got these jeans yesterday' he moaned.

'Don't be a baby' The First in Warren's form chided. 'Can you believe this geek used to work for me too?' he asked the vampire rhetorically.

'Raised your standards since I guess' the vampire responded with a shrug.

'I'll say' the First agreed. 'You know under the cool new clothes and the snappy lines he practices in the mirror he's still just the same cowardly, whiny jerk he was when I fucked with his head and got him to kill his best friend.'

Andrew continued mopping his clothes. 'I'm not' he denied. 'I'm reformed, I'm a good guy now' he stated. 'I've trained, learned all I can about fighting evil' he said. 'Evil like you, evil that should and must be fought' he said.

The First laughed. 'You think they'd let you play Watcher if I hadn't killed most of the others?' he asked. 'That trust-fund bitch Kennedy and her girls only asked you to stay on a few more weeks so you could cook their Thanksgiving Dinner' he said. 'Grow up, be a man and accept what a loser you are.'

Andrew pouted. 'If I'm such a loser then why are you wasting time on me?' he countered.

'Because nobody crosses me and gets away with it' The First snarled. 'You're just on a long list of people I'm going to pay back for screwing me over' he said. 'That red headed prick Berith is going to get his too' he declared. 'I'd tell you to wait and see but my boy here is going to rip out your throat while I watch so you won't get the chance.'

Becoming almost as pale as the vampire sat opposite Andrew took a breath to apparently steady his nerves. 'Do I get a last request?' he asked, voice trembling.

The First laughed. 'You already dropped your drink' he said. 'Want a cigarette instead?' he asked. 'You're already wearing a coat like that vampire Spike you crushed over, why not adopt his other habits too?'

Andrew shook his head. 'What the hell have those Bringers been trying to find?' he asked. 'We keep finding places they've been digging but there's nothing there' he said. 'We even tried using the ground penetrating radar gear we bought the first time we found them in there but nothing' he said. 'We've checked the books, prophecies, Willow's tried scrying with crystals and a map' he continued. 'We've got nowhere, what the hell are you up to?' he asked.

'Hey Warren had the full set of Bond Films and I know everything he knew' The First replied. 'The villain should never give away the secret to the hero even if the hero isn't really a hero' he said. 'So how's redemption working out for you?' he asked. 'Not too good and now you're going to hell.'

Andrew closed his eyes then opened them. 'He's right you know' he told the vampire. 'I am a nerd, not much glory in killing a nerd is there?' he asked.

'Now that's a creative approach' the First enthused. 'Make yourself appear too pathetic to kill, hey that might work in your case' he said. 'You truly _are_ pathetic.'

'When I tell people about it I'll make him sound more impressive' the vampire said. 'Hey he's still a watcher, that'll be worth some street cred with other vampires.'

'But I love Star Wars, I own all the action figures' Andrew declared. 'And all the films on DVD, except the Special Editions I mean, I hate those' he said.

'Why?' the vampire couldn't help but ask.

'Because Han shoots first' Andrew said and snapped up a pistol crossbow with a laser sight fitted from under the table pulling the trigger the instant the green dot was over the vampires heart.

The vampire exploded into a cloud of dust as sound as the wooden crossbow bolt punched through his chest into his heart. 'And the Oscar for best supporting Watcher goes to...' Andrew said smirking at the First Evil. Oh fuck yeah! He screamed triumphantly to himself in his mind whilst maintaining a professional demeanour on the outside. 'People change' he told The First, getting up from his seat and walking right through the ancient and incorporeal demon on his way to the door.

'You killed my boyfriend' the girl at the bar moaned.

'Do yourself a favour, find one with a pulse' Andrew told her. 'The only thing cool about vampires is their body temperature' he said.

'But he was my ride home' she complained as the First Evil continued to look on in mute surprise, Andrew now deliberately ignoring it because he knew that would grate more than anything else.

Andrew rolled his eyes. 'My car is parked out back I'll give you a ride' he offered.

'Okay' the girl replied following him. 'So do you kill vampires a lot?' she asked.

'The word is "slay" not kill' Andrew corrected her.

The First Evil turned to one of the other vampires in the bar. 'Are you just going to sit there and let him get away with dusting one of you?' he asked. 'He's already shot his bolt, rip his fucking throat out!' it implored.

Andrew stopped in his tracks and turned to address the whole bar. 'Anyone who wants to end up in a vacuum cleaner like dusty there' he said indicating the remains of the vampire, 'step up' he challenged.

The vampire that the First had talked to got up himself and vamped out showing his fangs. Andrew looking him up and down. 'I can see you're angry' Andrew said, 'but is it really worth losing your head over?' he asked calmly, holding out his arm and deploying the collapsible sword from where it had been hidden under his sleeve.

The vampire looked at the sword and the serious expression on Andrews face and returned quietly to his seat.

With wide eyes the girl watched Andrew nonchalantly activate the sword mechanism again, the sharp steel smoothly locking back into place. 'What car have you got?' she asked him as the now clearly infuriated First Evil vanished in a flash.

'Jaguar XKR Convertible' Andrew replied, straightening his coat. Getting Stephen to lend him the keys had been a far greater chore than dusting any vampire could be.

'Cool' she said.

It really couldn't get any better than this Andrew decided as he drove the girl home, he had taken out a vampire and humiliated The First Evil. He was however soon proved wrong when the girl leaned over from the passenger seat and began to unbutton his jeans.

Fortunately he somehow maintained enough self-control to _not_ crash the very expensive borrowed sports car.

**Hyperion**** Hotel – Los Angeles – December 2004**

Wesley opened the file in front of him. 'As you may or may not know for the past five generations the Vinjis and Sahrvin demon clans have been feuding, the original cause of the dispute is rather puerile and not really worth all the bloodshed in my opinion, but it has become rather ingrained over the decades' he said, addressing what seemed a deserted conference room with so many people now at Shadow Valley.

'What was the cause?' Fred asked, she herself was dividing her time between the two locations and was looking forward to the new helicopter speeding up the commute.

Gunn laughed. 'I asked Wes that earlier' he said, 'a Vinji used the wrong fork at a Sahrvin bonding ceremony' he told her. 'Amazing what demons will kill each other over' he said.

'Not just demons I'm afraid' Wesley replied. 'Honduras and El Salvador once went to war over the result of an Association Football match' he said.

'They take their footie seriously down there in Latin America' Spike observed. 'So where do we come in?' he asked.

Angel meshed his fingers. 'Wolfram Hart is helping to negotiate an end to the feud with the assistance of a Demon Rights activist named... Tobias Dupree' he said checking his own notes. 'I've already arranged for Mr Dupree to go missing and each clan is blaming the other.'

'Missing?' Fred asked nervously.

'He's alive' Angel told her. 'We checked and the guy had a weakness for blonds so I got Harmony to pick him up at a bar and once he was out of there we grabbed the guy and offered him a bribe to get lost for a few months.'

'We gave him an offer he couldn't refuse' Wesley added. 'Illyria portalled him to the other side of the world and held him upside down over the side of an active volcano until his principles became more elastic.'

'Dropping him would have been cheaper' Illyria opined.

'We're not above threatening basically decent guys these days' Angel told her, 'dropping them into lava remains a no no' he stated.

'You have come far but have yet to take he final step' Illyria responded. 'I still hold out hope however.'

'That we'll see the light?' Wesley asked. Or is it the darkness?' he added with a half smile.

'I'd bet the latter' Faith commented. 'And now we'll get the "I am beyond such petty distinctions" line right?' she asked Illyria who had opened her mouth to reply and now closed it to glare at the slayer. 'You're getting predictable there Blue' she told the God-King.

'Where's Enyo?' Fred asked.

'Campaigning' Wesley replied. 'She's teleported to the Guangzhou facility to try and get some votes from the oriental slayer sorority' he explained. 'To be honest it's somewhat unfair on the other girls who have put their names down as candidates, they can't exactly do the same' he noted. 'She's returning by way of Cleveland to press the flesh there as well.'

'Surprised she doesn't drop in on London to see Molly and her people too' Fred remarked.

'She doesn't want to run the risk of meeting my father until we can all travel there' Wesley told her. 'It could be awkward.'

'If we're talking guys that need dropping into volcano's...' Faith interjected, receiving an approving nod of agreement from Illyria. 'So I'm still kinda hazy on the plan here guys' she said to Wesley and Angel. 'What's our angle?' she asked.

'With the feud still on we tilt the balance in favour of the Vinjis, give them some nice new weapons, access to some dark magicks they don't have and get them to kick some Sarhvin ass' Angel replied.

'Why?' Faith asked.

'Because my sweet the Head of the Sahrvin Clan is also a member of the Circle of the Black Thorn' Wesley told her. 'They came at us sideways through the Scourge and the Lister Clan so we're repaying them in kind through the Vinjis.'

'Wolfram Hart isn't the only one that can play these games' Angel said. 'They want to fight underhand and dirty through third parties and we'll beat them at their own game' he said.

'We pay them back without having to get our own hands dirty' Gunn said. 'We could bust some heads ourselves, and I'm down with that normally, but this is some karmic shit' he continued. 'They fuck with us, we fuck with them right back, only better' he said. 'Opening up a can of Machiavelli on their ass' he said appreciatively, glad he'd read that little book. That dead Italian guy was one cold-hearted, ruthless dude but damn did he have a handle on politics.

Fred frowned. 'You're talking about this like it's a game but peoples lives are at stake' she said, 'well demons anyhow' she added.

'The Vinjis are no angels themselves so don't worry about them losing some people' Wesley told her. 'And it _is_ a game' he said. 'It's the _Great_ Game'

'Sorry?' Fred asked confused.

'The Great Game was what they called all the scheming and plotting and underhanded tricks that went on between the British Empire and Russia in the Nineteenth Century' Wesley told her. 'The British were in India and they competed with the Tsar's Russia for power and influence in Central Asia lying between the two empires' he explained. 'Neither side wanted to come to blows but they both wanted to keep the other in check so they sought alliances with local tribes, ran guns to those opposed to the other side, sent spies to keep an eye on the situation' he said. 'Afghanistan, Persia, Tibet they were all part of the playing board.'

Spike nodded. 'That takes me back' he said. 'Do you know the British Army was fighting in Afghanistan back when I was turned' he said. 'And here we are a hundred and twenty odd years later and they're bloody well back fighting there _again_' he added incredulously, shaking his head. 'Dusty sodding wasteland _can't_ be worth the trouble' he opined.

'Hope it goes better this time than it did every other time foreign troops went there' Wesley observed. 'The last chap to get out of the place relatively unscathed was probably Alexander the Great' he said, 'but moving on from history to our situation I trust the parallels are clear.'

Fred sighed. 'Unremitting hostility, suspicion, scheming and skirmishing' she said. 'So is this our future?' she asked rhetorically.

'Unfortunately our future is going to be far worse' Wesley replied, 'I'd take _full-scale_ war with Berith and Wolfram Hart over fighting Jasmine and/or The First any day' he said. 'These low-key operations are just a sign that both ourselves and Wolfram Hart know who the real enemy is and that we both need the other player to still be in the game when the rules change.'

'I thought we were the ones rewriting the rules as we went along?' Gunn asked.

'More like amendments' Angel replied.

**Warehouse District – Cleveland – December 2004**

Andrew unlocked the door and held it open to let the girls into the apartment. They had insisted on dragging both him and Stephen with them to the Mall where the visiting Enyo had been using the opportunity to socialise and campaign, the girls more than fascinated to find out she already knew most of them, or at least alternate future versions of them.

'You still haven't said why you keep calling me Chibiusa' Rebecca/Enyo told Andrew.

'She's a character from the Japanese anime series Sailor Moon' Andrew replied. 'A time travelling princess from the future with magic powers and pink hair' he explained.

'My hair isn't pink' Rebecca/Enyo replied.

'It's red or has red streaks sometimes' Andrew replied, 'that's close enough' he maintained, closing the door when everyone had made their way inside, Stephen being the last.

Kennedy had stayed at the apartment and immediately approached Andrew holding a small piece of paper and with an expression on her face somewhere between disbelief and disapproval. 'You got a call' she told him.

'I did?' Andrew replied.

'A girl phoned saying she got a contact number from a barman' Kennedy told him. 'She left her cellphone number for you to call' she continued, then crossed her arms, the piece of paper still held tightly in the hand. 'When I asked if you knew her she said she's the chick that gave you a blowjob in the car a couple of nights back and wanted to know if you maybe wanted to hang out some time' she announced.

Every other conversation going on immediately ceased and everyone turned to stare at Andrew.

'One day!' Stephen exclaimed, 'he borrows my Jag for _one day_ and he's getting some' he said incredulously.

Andrew made an uncomfortable coughing noise and reached out for the note which Kennedy handed over. He looked at it then back to Kennedy, 'I suppose I should take her out and buy her dinner or something' he said awkwardly.

'You mean you didn't even have to do that _first_?' Stephen asked, nonplussed.

Andrew coughed again then looked at Kennedy. 'She didn't leave her name did she?' he queried reluctantly. 'I never found out what it was' he admitted, earning himself a small chorus of surprised noises before turning to Stephen. 'Can I borrow your car again?' he requested hopefully.

'_That_ depends on what you're planning to do in it' Stephen replied suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.

Rebecca/Enyo blinked. 'Is _everyone_ in this era some kind of oversexed nymphomaniac?' she muttered not too quietly to herself.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_This fanfic runs on reviews, also if you're a member of **Twisting the Hellmouth** the first story in the series "Compelled to Play Again" is nominated for Best AtS/BtVS Story and voting is now open so if you feel like being nice and casting your vote in my direction I'd be very grateful :-)_


	17. Chapter 17

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****SEVENTEEN**

**Shadow Valley – California – December 2004**

'Can you say that again' Xander requested, stopping dead in his tracks walking beside Buffy and Willow as they made their way from the main building towards the block that contained Buffy's extremely spacious penthouse apartment . They could have gone via the tunnels that linked all the buildings but it wasn't a bad day for December so they were enjoying the outside air instead.

'Andrew is going to cover for Stephen for a couple of weeks as the Cleveland watcher' Buffy repeated. 'Stephen is heading back to California' she added.

'Not that part' Xander told her, 'the part about Andrew wanting to spend Christmas with his new _girlfriend_' he said incredulously.

'Right, that's what he told me' Buffy replied.

Willow couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Xanders face. 'I was pretty surprised too when Kennedy told me about it on the phone' she said, 'she's coming along with Stephen by the way leaving Shannon in charge' Willow told him. 'Kennedy was completely thrown, but I think her Gaydar can't tell the difference between gay and bisexual' she said. 'She was surprised when I first told her I dated a boy once.'

'Gaydar?' Buffy queried with a grin.

'Yeah, sometimes us AC/DC types act like Jammers' Willow joked.

'Andrew's bi?' Xander asked, 'okay I can "buy" that' he joked, 'but I'd have never thought he was completely straight in a million years' he declared. 'If I saw him James Bonding it up in a Tux with two girls on his arms I'd _still_ think he liked guys' he said. 'Not that there's anything wrong with that' he tacked on quickly.

'I don't know if he _realises_ he is' Willow told her friends, 'but that's my professional opinion as a member of the "plays both sides of the fence" club' she said. 'And that Seinfeld quote is wearing thin to the point of being a cliché' she added, grinning at Xander.

'So don't want to go watch the electoral debate later?' Xander asked Buffy, 'could be fun.'

'I already know who I'm voting for, or against at least' Buffy told him as they proceeded on their way.

'Rebecca's not that bad when you get to know her' Willow observed.

'It's a package deal, you vote Rebecca and you get Enyo thrown in for free' Buffy pointed out. 'Illyria _might_ be okay too but I don't want her _or_ her hellspawn in any position of authority in this organisation' she declared. 'The_ advice_ they give is bad enough, if one of them actually had an electoral mandate to try and force their agenda with... damn Willow I don't need that' she said.

'Democracy is messy that way' Willow replied, 'missing the old dictatorship of the longest living Chosen One?'

Buffy sighed. 'It was easier' she said ruefully. 'Illyria wants to sideline me into nothing more than a figurehead.'

'Be fair' Willow responded, 'that's only because her first plan to control you like a puppet on a string didn't work out' she noted with a smile. 'She's an Old One, we've all read the books on her era, or at least skimmed the Cliffsnotes' she said giving Xander a wink, 'wanting to be in charge and thinking she's better at it than anyone else is stamped on her genes' she continued. 'It's nothing personal, I think she kinda likes you really.'

Xander laughed. 'You're still alive so she doesn't actively _dislike_ you anyway' he agreed, 'and it's not like there's much room for neutral opinions under that blue hair.'

'Oh yeah, opinionated and self-assured is pretty much her trademark personality wise' Willow concurred.

'Yeah well' Buffy began, 'just because she isn't evil for the sake of it doesn't mean she doesn't need keeping in check.'

'Hey if I could vote I wouldn't vote for the Red Menace either' Xander responded. 'Of course us non-slayers are disenfranchised.'

Willow pursed her lips. 'I'm planning a votes for witches campaign' she declared.

'What about carpenters?' Xander asked.

'Nah I'm not worried _they_ don't get to vote' Willow replied deadpan.

'Playing with hellfire there Will' Xander warned her, 'I've got powerful friends, Jesus was in my line of work' he reminded her.

'Jewish with a side order of Witchy Pagan here Xander' Willow pointed out. 'I might wear a cross to ward off the vampires but I'm not in the club.'

'Just wait until you need some woodwork done in the afterlife' Xander told her, holding open the door as they finally arrived at their destination. 'We're union' he said letting his two best friends through.

A few hundred yards away Anya parked her car in her reserved spot outside the main building after a shopping trip to the nearest town and began heading for Buffy's apartment herself to meet Xander. En-route she found Medousa sitting on a bench outside and noticed her checking her reflection in a compact mirror which was an entertaining notion in itself given that by rights according to legend she should have turned to stone. 'You look pretty' she told the Guardian, stopping beside her 'I mean for a woman of your apparent age' she added without intended malice. 'New dress?' she asked.

'Yes' Medousa replied.

'And you did your hair' Anya noted.

'One of the girls helped me with it' Medousa replied. 'She was training to be a hair stylist when she was called.'

'It suits you' Anya told her. 'I'm sure he'll think you look very nice' she said.

'Who?' Medousa asked.

'Stirling' Anya replied. 'I know he's due to return from Pylea today' she said.

The Guardian opened her mouth to begin denying any such thing then decided it was pointless and needlessly dishonest. 'I thought the silly old fool was going to get himself killed' she said. 'I prayed to the Goddess for his safe return and I am grateful he is coming home' Medousa continued. 'I missed the arguments, they made me feel young again.'

'And the sex' Anya interjected, 'you missed the sex?' she asked.

Medousa shrugged. 'The passion, I missed the passion' she said, 'and the sex' she admitted with a smile.

'Viagra right?' Anya asked, 'I know in their advancing years men can need help with that.'

The Guardian snorted. 'I might be over three thousand years old but the day hasn't come yet when I need chemical assistance to get a man going' she declared vehemently.

'I don't want details' Anya said hurriedly, there were images she didn't want in her head, the thousand years of vengeance and slaughter were bad enough. 'I'm glad you like him, everyone should have someone' she said, 'I have Xander back, I missed not having him when I didn't.'

'I don't_ like_ Thomas' Medousa denied honestly, 'not only is he a Shadow Man he is sexist almost to the point of being a misogynist, as well as condescending and stubborn' she stated. 'I found that I was _fond_ of him despite that' she said.

Anya shrugged. 'I'm sure he'll appreciate you making the effort to look nice for him.'

Medousa rolled her eyes. 'Don't be ridiculous, he's a _man_ he might not even _notice_' she said. 'We used to have a saying when I was young' she told Anya, 'the only reliable way to get their undivided attention is to turn up naked and bring an amphora full of wine.'

Anya nodded. 'Beer or Mead works too' she told her.

**Hyperion**** Hotel – Los Angeles – December 2004**

Wesley tried to ignore the disturbingly joyful expression on Spikes face when he handed him the grenade launcher, as a rule the vampire preferred fighting hand-to-hand, but blowing things all to hell was fun too and Spike fondly remembered using one of these before against Turok'Han during the fight to take down the Sunnydale Hellmouth. 'Pay close attention Spike' Wesley told him, 'this is one of the new launchers we received last week and it's not exactly the same as the one you used before' he said.

'This is still the dangerous end right?' Spike asked with a smirk pointing to the muzzle.

'Yes but the safety catch is...' Wesley replied.

'Don't worry about that' Spike interrupted, 'Trigger, dangerous end, ammo goes in here' he said looking at the six oversized chambers.

'Spike I am _not_ going to let you have that if you're not going to have the safety catch on when we're not fighting things' Angel growled.

The blond vampire rolled his eyes. 'All right where's the wuss button?' he asked reluctantly.

'There' Wesley told him pointing it out before turning to Angel who was already checking out his own launcher. 'These are Milkor MGL-140 Grenade Launchers, pre-production models as it happens Emil got hold of some for market testing' he told them. 'Effective range is four hundred yards but I've seen you both shoot so don't bother trying to hit anything much more than half that' he said with a smirk.

'So what do you think?' Spike asked Angel, 'does it takes balls or stupidity to insult two blood-sucking mass-murderers holding big fucking guns?'

'Brains' Wesley interrupted, 'they aren't loaded' he told them. 'Plus you both know if something happened to me one or both of my girlfriends would be rather annoyed and they're a creative pair on the revenge front' he noted. 'I've got several kinds of rounds for you' he continued back on track, indicating a number of 40mm grenades he had lined up on the nearest table. 'The classic high-explosive, ideal for turning the most hostile of demonic Jasmine worshipping insects to chunky kibble' he said indicating the first, 'Next we have my personal favourite, White-Phosphorus for when you want to bring a little light into your enemies lives, plus pain, screams, horrific burns...'

'He sounds like a sodding salesman' Spike observed.

Angel nodded. 'I think Emil put him on commission and he's taking a percentage' he replied. 'Maybe it's because of Rebecca' he theorised, 'I got weird with money when Connor first arrived, I used to search for loose change.'

'Well you were always _tight_ with money' Spike responded, 'and you're weird anyway' he added.

'And finally a new one in our arsenal' Wesley continued ignoring them completely, 'canister round' he said holding it up, 'works like a very large shotgun shell full of oversized tungsten buckshot' he said. 'Not much use unless you're close, but at point blank it'll completely shred anything you fire the thing at' he told them. 'Try to use them sparingly they're not good for the barrel' he added.

'Alright, alright I'm sold but I'm still taking me knuckle-duster' Spike told him.

'And a sword, you're taking a sword' Angel told him. 'I took one of these things down with Connor, they're big, strong and even after we tasered it the bug still put up more fight than most other demons I've tangled with' he said.

'Too right I'm taking a sword if Dru is carrying one' Spike replied, 'you never know when she's going to get a funny idea about finding out what your insides look like' he said. 'And if Harmony starts swinging hers keep well away.'

Wesley nodded. 'She did seem perhaps a tad over-enthusiastic when I watched her practice' he agreed.

'She's eager to please' Angel remarked.

'Too right she is' Spike agreed, 'she'll dress up like a slayer for you too' he added, ignoring the look Angel gave him.

'I _meant_ she wants to belong' Angel said, 'Cordelia always says about her that she's a joiner and she always was' he continued, 'Harmony sees her worth in whether others see her as worthwhile' he said.

Spike looked away. 'I didn't treat her very well' he admitted, 'I know we were _both_ missing a soul then but I always treated Buffy, hell even Dru better when I was evil' he said. 'That mercenary bloke had better treat her alright or I'll have words.'

'Tell him about the dressing up' Wesley couldn't resist saying, 'he'll have her pretending to be Glory' he continued.

'I think anybody that would ask a girl to demean herself like that is a low-life' Angel told Spike 'Wes is with me right?' he asked.

Wesley coughed and looked around. 'Lilah once dressed up like Fred for sex' he admitted awkwardly, unable not to blush slightly as he did.

Angel looked from Wesley to Spike. 'Englishmen' he said with disgust, 'degenerate perverts the entire lot of you' he declared.

**Shadow Valley – California – December 2004**

Over in the nearby sports hall, Rebecca Wyndham-Pryce was electioneering to a group that had responded to her invite to come ask her questiond regarding her candidacy to a place on the new Advisory Council 'You want to know what my policies are?' she replied to a question from one of the nearby girls. 'To kick evils ass' she answered with a grin.

'That's _everyone's_ policy' the girl responded.

'Well I hope so' Rebecca responded with a smile, 'the difference is I've got more experience at it' she said. 'I became a slayer seven years ago' she told them, 'only Mom and Buffy have more time in the job that I do' she said. 'Of course seven years ago for me is the future for _you_ but that's another positive, others might spin you a line about their dream for the future, I lived through it and it's a nightmare, I know what we need to do to stop it, everyone else is just guessing' she declared.

'Okay if you wanted to sum up the reasons we should vote you onto the Advisory Council what would it be?' another asked.

'Vote Rebecca Wyndham-Pryce' she replied. 'What's the chances you _won't_ need me, or one of my family, to save your sorry ass one day? Can you really afford to piss us off and run the risk we _won't_?' Rebecca declared deadpan before breaking out into laughter. 'I'm kidding, I'd save you, I might just scowl at you afterwards' she told the crowd who had laughed themselves. 'Seriously though who else are you going to get that could put the time in like I can, I don't sleep, so when I say I'll represent and work for you 24/7 I mean it literally' she said. 'You want to hear qualifications? Well I've staked more vampires, beaten up more warlocks, scythed more demons and dusted more Turok'Han than anyone else in Shadow Valley, maybe all of you put together' she announced. 'That sounds like egomania... and it is because hey, part Old One here' she joked, 'but it's true anyway, been there, slayed that' she continued. 'What you get with me on the Advisory Council is experience, I'm the only one offering that' she said.

'You're not human' a voice stated coldly from the back.

'Neither are _you_ completely' Rebecca countered, 'slayer power is demonic, don't think that just because the demon mojo I'm packing makes the one they drew the power from to make the slayer line look like a total wuss that I'm _that_ much different than you are, I have emotions and a soul' she said. 'To quote the bard: "If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not..." oh hell I'm digging myself into a hole here' she said with a mock grimace 'Okay so if you stuck me with a needle it would bend and I can drink bleach with battery acid chasers no problem, but I_ am_ still ticklish' she told them breaking out into another grin.

'People are saying you're dangerous' one of the girls said.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. 'Hands up any slayer here that think she's dangerous' she said, raising her right arm. 'Be honest now, every one of you could bench-press a car, be thrown through a wall and then get right back up and beat Bruce Lee to a pulp' she said, as more and more hands were raised. 'It doesn't matter that we're superbeings right? What makes us good or evil is what we're fighting, not what we _are_' she said. 'You know that those Twilight clowns in league with the military think all slayers are a threat because they're stronger than normal people right?' she asked rhetorically, 'don't make the same bigoted mistake they make about you about _me_' she requested.

'What's it like having another voice in your head?' a girl queried, that had to be weird she thought.

'Like schizophrenia I guess' Rebecca replied, 'only my other voice is really there so shrinks aren't always bending hypodermic needles full of drugs on me' she answered. 'It takes a lot of getting used to and it's a pain in the ass when we're arguing about something because neither of us can get away' she said. 'You wouldn't believe the arguments and the bitchyness' she said. 'Enyo once started singing "One million green bottles hanging on a wall" and kept it up continuously for three straight days, I thought I was going to go postal' she said with a shudder. 'She just told me to tell you I deserved it' Rebecca said listening to the other voice in her head, 'she might be right but I'm not telling you what I did because I'm trying to look mature and vote-worthy here' she told them.

'Can we talk to Enyo?' one of the girls asked.

Rebecca nodded. 'Sure but if she says anything about deleting her music collection because I was getting sick of listening to Wagner it's not true' she said then she rolled her head so that her hair was in motion whilst it changed colour from brown to brown with red streaks until finally it was completely bright red. At the same time her human blue eyes inherited from Wesley changed to Illyria's crystalline blue and her skin changed colour becoming grey with a wide band of blue that made her hair stand out even more forming on her forehead whilst her hands conversely developed patches of red. 'You wish to address the God-Princess of the Holocene mortals?' Enyo asked in frigid tones.

'Way cool' one of the girls exclaimed. 'So you're Illyria's girl?'

'I am the spawn and heir to the God-King Illyria and Berith Lord of the Covenant' Enyo replied. 'If you wish to worship me that is acceptable though your awe is sufficient' she declared.

'Yeah sounds like the Blue Meanies kid' a slayer observed.

'My mother does not like that nickname' Enyo responded. 'Not do I like the growing tendency to refer to me as the "Red Menace", they are both demeaning and overly familiar' she said. 'Rebecca may think they are merely amusing and meant without malice but I regard them as an insult to the dignity of your betters.'

'You think you're better than us?' the same girl asked.

'Name a field of endeavour physical or intellectual in which I am not and I will disprove the notion' Enyo said. 'Except stand-up comedy, Rebecca insists I have poor comedic timing and delivery' she added, then paused. 'Your lack of laughter at my attempt at levity indicates she may be right' she said then narrowed her eyes, 'she is now booing and calling for the next act to annoy me... it is working' she growled to herself.

'Jeez, and I thought it was bad sharing my room back home with my little sister' one of the girls said.

'You have no idea trust me' Enyo told her with a somewhat human sigh. 'You have questions regarding Rebecca's candidacy?' she asked.

'Why should we vote for her?' the nearest slayer asked.

'You should not' Enyo replied, 'you should force Buffy to allow my mother Illyria to stand instead' she declared. 'If you are not going to do that Rebecca is at best a compromise in that sometimes she listens to my counsel' she said.

'Not the ringing endorsement I was expecting' the girl responded in surprise.

'If you want bullshit talk to a human' Enyo replied flatly, 'any other questions?'

'Those red and blue skin patches are they all over?' a slayer asked.

'Yes, the pattern is symmetrical and resembles a combination of the markings of both my Mother and Father' she said, 'neither of them like it' she continued, 'the only thing they agree on regards colouration is that at least I did not accidentally end up looking like one of the other Old One clans' she said, 'particularly those my mother refers to as being "Purple trash".'

'Does it hurt if you touch a scythe?' a girl asked in broken English, from the accent she was from somewhere in Eastern Europe.

'No' Enyo replied, 'although the presence of a scythe would normally repel an Old One the magics within it recognise the existence of Rebecca's soul and that the shell is a slayer' she said. 'I get the same rush from holding one you do and it enhances my strength and abilities still further' she said. 'I miss my scythe' she said regretfully, 'I misplaced it in the back of the corporeal First Evil after I dropped in on the creature unannounced... from several thousand feet up.'

'How that work out for you?' a girl asked.

'I made it _extremely_ mad' Enyo replied with a shrug. 'After that it was mainly a process of being repeatedly struck by an entity as far above me in strength as I am you.'

'Ouch' the girl responded with a grimace.

'You'd better believe it' Enyo told her, 'Rebecca says to say my ancestors back in the Primordium probably felt it' she added. 'And she wishes to return to control so I will allow her' she said hair and skin changing back to how they had been before.

'Not as scary as I thought' a girl observed. 'Less rude than Illyria too... or Anya' she said.

'She says she hopes you were suitably awed though' Rebecca responded. 'She's touchy about that, she thinks people don't take her seriously because she's not a "real" Old One' she explained, 'way too much human in the mix' she continued. 'We went to a hell dimension once where the locals tried to kill us because we stank of humanity' she told them.

'What happened?' the girl queried.

'They regretted it' Rebecca replied simply. 'I still had my scythe then and Enyo was holding onto a lot of pent up rage' she said. 'Put it this way, by the time we were done we'd changed their definition of what a "Hell Dimension" really was' she said. 'That's how you play to win' she said, 'you travel the dimensions taking no crap from anyone or _anything_ until the word spreads that the most dangerous thing in the multiverse is a Shadow Valley Slayer and her scythe' she said. 'That's what a vote for Rebecca Wyndham-Pryce is' she said, 'a vote to take no crap.'

At the formal debates later that evening Rebecca wiped the floor with every other girl standing for a place on the council, it was the cheering from the floor that annoyed Buffy most.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_This fanfic runs on reviews, sorry no chapter last week, sometimes other things require time I had allocated to writing. _

_If anyone isn't following the spin-off **Tales from the Compelled 'Verse** stories over on **Twisting the Hellmouth** (link to Compelled on TtH on my profile) you might like to know I'm writing up the life story of Rebecca Wyndam-Pryce there in a story called **The Girl who would be God-Princess** and there are two chapters already posted. _

_TtH author **Misterq** has a spin-off Compelled story within Tales too, that one is up to its fourth chapter and I think it's well worth reading._


	18. Chapter 18

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****EIGHTEEN**

**Hyperion**** Hotel –Los Angeles – December 2004**

After wearing combat fatigues continuously for almost a year Douglas Ashton felt very strange in jeans, jacket and a T-Shirt although the drive from Shadow Valley had been weirder, especially once he got into LA and ran into heavy traffic and more people than he had seen in his entire time on Pylea.

Parking his borrowed Range-Rover outside he hauled the backpack containing his belongings through the front door and seeing the reception desk unmanned he put it down as quietly and carefully as he could. Any thought of sneaking up on Harmony and springing a surprise were however immediately thwarted by her superior vampiric senses as while he retrieved a small package from his backpack she suddenly popped up from behind her desk where she had been looking for a dropped pencil sniffing the air. 'Duggy' she exclaimed and tore across the lobby to meet him remembering just in time not to run into him too hard or her also superior strength would send him flying.

Before he could speak they were kissing, which wasn't a bad thing as such although she was as ever room temperature and it never felt quite right somehow. When she finally broke off the impromptu embrace she made an appreciative noise. 'You smell and taste great' she told him then giggled as his eyes widened. 'Don't worry' she said, 'I just ate' she told him.

'That would explain the taste of blood' Ashton replied. That had taken a great deal more getting accustomed to than her skin temperature but at least he wasn't easily grossed out and could handle the thought of French-kissing a girl who had been recently slurping down rodent blood as long as he didn't dwell on it too much. 'I said I'd come to see you straight away after talking to Buffy' he said lifting the package to show her. 'I got you a present' he told her offering the package which was wrapped in coarse brown paper and a tatty string bow.

'What is it?' Harmony asked snatching it away and tearing the wrapping paper off, inside was a cardboard box that had once contained grenade fuses but when the lid was unfolded now held a polished wooden figurine.

'It's a unicorn' Ashton told her, 'I asked Cordelia what she thought I could get you and she said you liked them' he said as she took it out. 'I found the best wood carver I could' he said feeling more than a little stupid for not getting anything better, the problem was opportunities to shop were scarce on Pylea. 'I've got some jewellery for you as well but it's somewhere at the bottom of my... what's wrong?' he asked, looking at her expression, it looked like her eyes were starting to tear up.

Harmony promptly grabbed him hard enough for it to hurt and kissed him again, okay now this is a result, he thought, definitely getting laid here the mercenary decided happily, even though the grip her free hand had on his arm was cutting off his circulation. 'I love it' she told him breaking the kiss again. 'I'll put it in front of all the others' she told him.

'If you let go I'll see if I can find that jewellery in my backpack' Ashton told her. 'It might be under my spare jacket' he said.

'You can give to me later' Harmony told him. 'I missed you' she said.

'I missed you too' Ashton replied, 'but can you let go? I can't feel my right arm' he told her.

'Oh, oopsy' Harmony responded and imediately released her grip.

Ashton clenched and unclenched his right fist to get the blood flowing again as Harmony led him over to her desk where she promptly placed the carving in a pride of place position with the others. 'This is where I work' she said. 'Mr Angel says I'm a conscientious worker and a valued member of the team' she told him.

'Buffy just signed my paycheck and told me to report back for duty next month' Ashton responded with a shrug. He didn't mind that much, he knew she thought of him as a necessary evil at best, Harmony on the other hand was of course an _actual_ as opposed to figurative evil, but _she_ had the excuse of lacking a soul whereas the mercenary's unsavoury choice of career was simply the result of personal preference. 'Janko isn't with me' he said.

'Gone home to Czechoslovakia?' Harmony asked.

'He's from Croatia' Ashton corrected her.

'Same difference' Harmony told him.

Resisting the urge to explain there _was_ quite a difference, and that Czechoslovakia didn't even exist any more, Ashton instead smiled at her, damn she was cute he thought. If all evil demonic creatures looked like Harmony and Glory then the forces of darkness would get better press he decided. 'Jan is going to spend Christmas at the Valley' he told her. 'He's going to ask Vi out now we're not in her chain of command' he said.

'Wants to date a slayer?' Harmony asked, lots of guys seemed to have a thing for slayers.

'If he was me I'd think he just wants to fuck an officer' Ashton replied, 'but he's not the asshole I am' he added.

'You're not an asshole' Harmony told him, 'would an asshole get me such a lovely present?' she asked.

A clever asshole who is hoping to get into your pants again would, Ashton thought to himself. 'I guess not' he replied with a grin. To his surprise he _had_ enjoyed seeing her happy with the unicorn and _not_ just because it would likely pay off for him in the sack, that nasty nagging feeling that he wasn't just after sex and might genuinely like her was starting to rear its ugly head, damn it he wished he was a big a jerk as he made out to be some times. It was his parents fault obviously, raising him too well.

Another woman entered the lobby from the direction of the dining room holding a tray with a cup and saucer and a few pastries on it.

'Diana this is my boyfriend' Harmony spoke up brightly. 'Douglas this is Diana, she helps me with the filing and typing and admin stuff' she said.

Ashton winced. 'Harmony I can deal with Doug, Duggy or Ashton but the only person that calls me Douglas is my Mom' he told her. 'Nice to meet you' he told the woman. She was dressed in a very severe and professional business suit with a haircut to match, his age or maybe a few years older Ashton guessed, not bad looking but far from his type.

'Ah yes' Diana replied, looking him up and down, 'the mercenary' she said managing to put as much distain as he had ever heard into the word, which was a fair deal.

Looking her up and down in return Ashton decided not to retaliate immediately. 'It pays the bills' he replied evenly.

'Yes I'm sure being a gun for hire is quite lucrative' Diana replied, 'a person lacking ethics might find a rewarding career in the field' she said cooly, placing the tray on the reception desk.

Ashton nodded. 'I do okay' he said. 'How's the money in your line of work?' he asked.

'My duties as an Administrative Manager are well recompensed' Diana told him. Mr Angel recognised the importance of good administration and company organisation and paid her accordingly as Mr Wyndham-Pryce had when she worked for him during his estrangement from the organisation.

'No I meant your night job as a dominatrix' Ashton responded, 'with a look like that you've got to be raking it in' he stated. 'Tell the truth, you fuck like a crazed weasel right?' he asked seriously.

Although he did apologise for his manners later the stern lecture he got from Angel about not talking to his staff that way was overshadowed by Ashton's rage when he found out that the vampire champion was taking his girlfriend to a hell-dimension. In the end the mercenary conceded it was Harmony's choice, but he did let Angel know that if he returned from Jasmine's former realm _without_ Harmony then the mercenary would "frag" the vampire with a hand-grenade and stick a wooden stake into the largest remaining intact piece.

Even without her soul Harmony was touched by Ashton's concern for her well-being. Angel was merely concerned because as a long time student of human nature it was evidently clear the mercenary meant it. Spike was pleased for two reasons, firstly it looked like the merc wasn't just using Harm, he cared about her, and secondly Angel got threatened with being blown to bits which was always a laugh.

**Shadow Valley – California – December 2004**

'Xander did a great job with this place' Kennedy remarked, opening the door and getting out of the passenger seat Willow's car.

'Some assistance is required' Stephen complained from where he was compressed into the back seat of the compact along with the luggage that couldn't be fitted in the undersized trunk.

'I offered to let you take the front seat' Kennedy responded helping him unfold himself from his position.

'I was hoping you might start making out if we stopped somewhere' Stephen replied. 'No such luck' he said, 'I got turned into origami for nothing' he moaned, 'not even a decent smooch, what's the point of having a friend who's a lesbian if you can't perv on her and her hot girlfriend occasionally?' he asked.

'I'm hot?' Willow asked.

'Very' Stephen replied, 'can I at least borrow your home movies?' he asked plaintively.

'No' Kennedy curtly replied.

'So there _are_ home movies?' Stephen responded with a grin.

Kennedy groaned and turned to Willow. 'I live with that' she complained. 'Okay cradle-snatcher your schoolgirl is here' she said pointing, 'annoy _her_' she said as he turned to see Emily practically bounding down the steps from the main building to the carpark.

'Stephen!' Emily exclaimed joyfully, jumping into his embrace.

'When you've finished swapping spit you'll find your stuff dumped just inside' Kennedy told the young watcher as Emily began assaulting him with kisses. They hadn't seen each other in the flesh since the start of the year and it wasn't like he was objecting so Kennedy picked up his bags as well as her own and began carrying them inside.

'Swapping spit?' Willow asked with a chuckle. 'Is that the right term for romance?' she queried with a smile.

Kennedy rolled her eyes. 'He calls what we get up to "hot girl-on-girl action".'

Willow pursed her lips. 'But he's right' she said after a moments deliberation then started to laugh following Kennedy up the steps.

'Love you, missed you' Emily told Stephen.

'Love you too' Stephen replied.

'And missed me' Emily asked.

'Every minute of every day' Stephen told her.

'I'm still in earshot,' Kennedy said loudly, 'and if you two get any mushier I'm going to lose my packet of honey-roasted peanuts from the flight' she announced.

Emily pouted then smiled again as Stephen moved in for another kiss.

'Ahem' another voice interrupted, male this time. 'Welcome to Shadow Valley Stephen' Giles greeted him. 'And if you would do me the favour of removing your right hand from its position on my eldest adopted daughters backside I'll shake it instead of following my initial instinct to bop you on the nose' he said. At least he hadn't stuck it up that indecently short skirt she had on Giles thought.

Stephen measured the two offered alternative scenarios. 'After due consideration of my options' he said, 'I prefer the handshake' he said and relocated his hand turning towards Giles and offering it.

Giles took Stephens hand and shook it. 'Your father would have been proud of you and your work in Cleveland' he told the young watcher.

'Thank you for saying so Sir' Stephen replied.

'More difficult than it looks being a watcher on a hellmouth isn't it?' Giles asked with a smile. 'Of course you did have more slayers than I did' he added with a chuckle.

'Valuable learning experience both in terms of what a hellmouth is, and dealing with a horde of teenage girls' Stephen responded. 'Now if you'll excuse me Sir the only girl I want to spend time with right now is here' he said, stroking Emily's hair.

Giles nodded. 'Enjoy the holiday season' he told the boy. 'Enjoy it too much and you're a dead man' he added meaningfully, turning and marching away.

'I wish to God I didn't think he meant that' Stephen told Emily with a frown as they walked towards the building hand in hand.

'What makes you think I'd have ever let you get far enough to deserve killing?' Emily asked sweetly.

'My good looks and winning personality' Stephen replied deadpan.

'Egomaniac' Emily chided playfully.

'How could anyone have the girlfriend I have and not have a healthy ego? Stephen asked.

Emily giggled. 'Have the girls been flirting with you a lot because your lines are better' she told him.

'They mainly do it to wind me up' Stephen replied. 'Although I think at least a couple of slayers harboured a major crush' he said. He hadn't in fact noticed one of them, Kennedy had to tell him because he was a guy and like many of his brethren therefore unperceptive as hell.

'You know it won't be _Giles_ that murders you if you decided to follow in Mr Wyndham-Pryce juniors footsteps and sleep with one of your slayers right?' Emily asked in amusement.

'I'm a hellmouth watcher' Stephen replied, 'I know what threats can be ignored' he remarked. 'I get threatened once or twice a week.'

'You think _my_ threats can be ignored' Emily asked.

'Oh hell no' Stephen answered, 'you might take vampires and demons lightly but women are dangerous' he said with a grin.

'Good' Emily responded, 'I was worried you might need retraining after all those months' she told him then leaned over to whisper in his ear. 'Guess what I've got on under the skirt' she teased.

'Oh that's just being cruel' Stephen moaned as he considered the possibilities.

Emily giggled again. 'I can see why the girls would enjoy winding you up' she told him.

Stephen sighed, why had he fallen for a nice girl who only teased instead of that tart Andrew had found himself with that put out? God damn high standards, he thought ruefully. 'I got the Christmas presents for the twins you suggested' he told her.

Emily smiled. 'They'll love them' she said. 'What did you get me?' she asked.

'You'll find out next Saturday when you open your Christmas presents' Stephen told her. 'You're cute when you pout' he added. 'What's going on over there?' he asked pointing to a small group of people setting up a wooden platform a couple of hundred yards away from the buildings, just inside the boundary set by the water-filled moat that surrounded the complex.

'It's the Winter Solstice tomorrow' Emily replied. 'Medousa is holding a pagan ceremony for anyone that wants to attends' she told him. 'Might be interesting to see what they were really like back then, well minus any animal sacrifices' she said.

'Well I hope we get a little Church of England ceremony where we can sing Jerusalem too or it's not fair' Stephen responded with a smile. '_I will not cease from mental fight, nor shall my sword sleep in my hand_' he sang, '_till we have built Jerusalem, In England's green and pleasant land_.'

'If you start singing or so much as _hum_ that tomorrow showing me up, I'll dump you' Emily told him sternly. 'Just because Mr Giles likes to bait the Guardian on behalf of "Shadow-Men" everywhere doesn't mean you have to join in.'

'It might get me in his good books and reduce the threat from death to a mild case of maiming' Stephen replied.

'And if you're dumped what good will that do you?' Emily asked reasonably.

Stephen sighed. 'Got to start thinking these plans through' he said.

**Near the ****Temple**** of the Word**** – Demon Dimension – December 2004**

Holding the blue orb which Wesley had smeared a little of his own blood upon to power the crystal Angel was the last one through the portal vortex which it had opened. When he arrived he found himself standing between Harmony and Drusilla both with swords drawn, and with Spike nearby aiming his grenade launcher at the closest of what looked like better than a hundred of the four-legged insect-like centaurs which were apparently the dominant demon species on this world. 'Oh hell' Angel said with a grimace looking around the bleak jagged landscape.

'Fits my description mate' Spike agreed. First impressions count and his first impression of Jasmine's World was that it was a total shit-hole, no wonder the bitch gave up on it and decided to take over Earth he decided, the locals were ugly as sin too he thought.

Angel held the portal orb aloft. 'This is supposed to scare them off' he said. 'Or not' he continued given the complete lack of a response from the creatures other than a few who inched closer.

'Hang on I'll try mine' Spike responded and fired a warning shot from his grenade launcher into a very large boulder a hundred yards away. The high-explosive grenade tore through the air and exploded on the rock in a deafening blast, blowing a decent chunk of the rock away. This definitely got the full-attention of the locals because they started to back off especially when Spike re-aimed it at them as did Angel his own after stowing the Portal Orb into a satchel he was carrying for that purpose.

'They're going to rush us' Harmony opined looking around. They weren't even in a position to run away, they appeared to be at the edge of a chasm with thick clouds in the valley below preventing them knowing how deep it really was. Too deep to be jumping in she decided, 'I told you I needed a gun' she stated, looking disparagingly at her sword.

'Harm we'd have been more likely to give one to Dru' Spike replied.

Drusilla herself looked around admiring the stark scenery. 'It's so pretty' she said. 'Can we have our picnic right here Daddy?' she asked Angel.

'Okay so maybe I was exaggerating when I said we'd be more likely to give a gun to Dru' Spike admitted. 'Can't have our picnic now Dru' he told her, 'look at all the bugs that'll carry off our dinner' he said.

'Big nasty ants' Drusilla said, pursing her lips and scowling at the demons. 'Shoo' she told them.

Angel fought back the urge to sneeze. The air was laden with chlorine and although it wouldn't burn out his lungs like it would a human, his superior sense of smell was suffering nonetheless. 'We don't want any trouble' he told the locals hoping they spoke English like the one which had come to Earth.

The demons answered with a series of hisses and clicks and began to edge closer again.

'Bugger this' Spike declared. 'We'll blow the first few dozen to bits and take our chances' he said, turning on the Laser sight Wesley had fitted to the launcher and playing the green dot on one demon after another. 'Eeny, meeny, miny...' he said, targeting one after another.

'Wait I've got an idea' Angel told him. 'It's dark here' he said.

'No shit sherlock' Spike retorted.

'And we found the other one in the sewers' Angel continued, ignoring him, 'so what if they don't like bright lights?' he asked. 'What are you loaded with?'

'All high-explosive' Spike answered.

'I've got willie-pete in the first three chambers' Angel told him.

Spike grinned. 'Worth a try' he said.

'Close one eye so you can still see out of the other one afterwards' Angel told the other three doing so himself. 'Let there be light' he said and fired the incendiary grenade into the ground fifty yards away.

The blinding flash lit up the area and burning molten phosphorus rained in all directions.

'And there was light' Drusilla finished the bible verse as the demons scattered in all directions as Angel fired the next two grenades in quick succession. The eye she had open during the explosions had pretty multi-coloured dots in front of it and she was sad when the colours soon faded away.

'Well they either don't like the light, or they're shit-scared of fire, but either way I like it' Spike declared happily as the demons fled.

'Might want to reload with incendiaries' Angel advised moving to reload his own launcher with replacement white-phosphorus grenades from one of the two bandoliers of mixed grenades looped over his shoulders. 'Just don't fire them to close to Harm or Dru, we're fireproof' he said indicating the Gems of Amarra both he and Spike were wearing on rings on their fingers, 'they're not.'

'We might be fireproof mate but if that crap detonated all these sodding grenades we're carrying we'd be spread over half the fucking dimension' Spike replied, opening the chamber and starting to swap out his ammunition load.

'Can we have our picnic now the nasty bugs have gone Daddy?' Drusilla asked hopefully.

'Later sweetheart' Angel replied. 'Work first then play' he told her.

'Oh poo' Drusilla responded returning her sword to its scabbard. It was a nicely balanced longsword with engraving down the blade which had appealed to her aesthetic sense.

'Now I could be wrong' Spike said, 'but if I had to guess that arse-ugly pile of rocks on the top of that bleeding mountain there looks like that Temple we're supposed to visit' he said.

Angel looked up. 'High Priest calls himself the Guardian of the Word' he said.

'And we chop off his head' Harmony said brightly.

'No Harm, we chop the head off the _Keeper_ of the Word, and take it back with us to put in deep freeze in case we need it later' Spike told her. 'We want information from the Guardian bloke.'

Angel nodded. 'Anything we can find out about Jasmine and if he knows where we can easily lay our hands on more of these Portal Orbs' he said.

'That's a hell of a climb Bossy' Harmony declared.

'Which is why you're carrying the ropes, and piton-guns' Angel told her. 'Illyria says I climbed it without them before so it shouldn't be too hard.'

Harmony shrugged, at least she was getting paid triple time for this plus a bonus hopefully. 'I'm not being tied to Drusilla' she said, 'She might decide to let go to see what it's like and take me with her on the way down.'

Spike grimaced. 'I never thought of that' he responded, 'You can have Dru roped to you' he told Angel, 'I'll take Harm' he said.

Fortunately the far from smooth surface of the rock made scaling the otherwise sheer mountain face much easier than it would have been otherwise, and other for a pause halfway up so Drusilla could have her promised picnic on the widest ledge they could find the climb went faster and less eventful than it might have. Reaching the top they found themselves beside a rough hewn monument with an imposing twenty foot high four-legged statue of what was presumably Jasmine by the entrance, similar statues in a smaller scale were inside too. 'Isn't she supposed to look like us only with maggots on her face?' Harmony queried following the others.

'She probably takes a form to look beautiful to any species she encounters' Angel replied. 'To the bugs, they think what _they_ look like is physical perfection.'

'You're shallow' Drusilla told Harmony. 'Beauty isn't just skin deep.'

'Just because I wouldn't date a slimy Chaos Demon like you doesn't mean I'm shallow' Harmony protested. 'I like smart guys she said, 'I'm just pretty enough to score _good-looking_ smart guys' she declared.

'Can't argue with her there' Spike interjected.

A pair of the insectoid demons moved to bar their path. 'Didn't hear anything about these guys being inside the Temple before' Angel noted, shouldering his grenade launcher by its sling and drawing his broadsword.

'They were not Dead Thing' a voice interrupted from behind the demons, a small humanoid demon appearing to show himself flanked by two more of the four-legged creatures. 'Only recently have the true believers begun to once again return to worship at the Temple of the Blessed Devourer' he said. 'Though most have already left this world to embark on the Great Crusade the Prophet has unleashed in her name.'

'You know who we are?' Angel asked, ignoring the threatening hisses and clicks from the other demons.

'She who raised us up out of the mud and moulded us into what we are has given me sight into the hearts and minds of others' the Priest replied. 'I can read the souls and demon spirits of you all' he continued, 'except her' he added after a moments reflection, pointing at Drusilla, 'she's not worshipping at all the right altars if you see what I mean' he said, redirecting his pointing finger at the side his own head and rotating it through the air.

'He's rude' Drusilla responded, 'can I eat him?' she asked.

'We'll see' Angel replied. 'Okay munchkin, save yourself pain, send these lackeys away and start talking' he told the Priest. 'You can start with this stuff about a Prophet because that's a new one on me' he said.

'Nothing I tell you will be of any use to you Dead Thing' the Priest replied.

'Then why take the beating?' Spike asked reasonably.

The Guardian of the Word looked thoughtful. 'You make a convincing case' he said, 'but what kind of loyal follower of my God would I be if I helped her enemies?' he asked rhetorically.

'The kind that can still walk and doesn't get fed to Drusilla here' Angel replied.

'I cannot fail to admit that you are having the best of the argument so far' the Priest responded. 'But if it is my destiny to suffer pain and death at the service of the Blessed Devourer then the agonies will purify my soul and make me more worthy to serve her in the afterlife.'

Angel sighed. 'This is why I hate religious fanatics' he said, 'faith really can move mountains.'

'Dunno about that mate' Spike replied, 'but I've seen what it can do to skyscrapers' he said holding his grenade launcher in one hand and putting his free hand in his pocket slid them into a set of viciously spiked brass knuckles. He withdrew his hand and grinned, he was willing to bet those big bugs had a glass jaw and was looking forward to finding out.

Angel rolled his wrist turning his broadsword in the air. 'Four bugs' he said, 'one each.'

'It's not that easy Dead Thing' the Priest responded with a smirk.

The sound of hefty scampering feet behind them caused Spike to snap his head around. 'We've got more company' he said, confronted by another half dozen of the creatures.

Angel fixed the Guardian of the Word with a cold stare then broke out into a smirk of his own. 'Told you it was a good idea to reload with canister before we went inside' he told Spike.

'You were bloody overdue one' Spike responded and swung around with all the speed his vampiric nature could provide raising his Grenade Launcher as he did.

Holding the Launcher at arms length like a handgun Spike pulled the trigger. It worked just like the oversized shotgun Wesley had described and with a deafening boom the two nearest bugs standing side by side were immediately ripped apart by a hailstorm of supersonic tungsten pellets, their tough exoskeletons barely slowing the dense, super-hard metal down as it tore through them. Forget Dirty Harry and that poxy Magnum, Spike thought, immediately pulling the trigger again, this time the entire spread of shot aimed at a single demon, reducing it to barely more than pieces of scattered flesh.

Angel lunged in low and put the tip of his blade straight through the throat of the nearest demon to him, less spectacular that Spikes dispatching of the enemy but effective nonetheless. To his surprise Harmony was already moving herself to engage the next as he pulled his sword back receiving a jet of blood in his face from the demons throat. 'It's wall to wall fucking cockroaches back here' Spike bellowed firing his third shot as more of the insect-like demons began to pour into the passage.

Harmony sidestepped a clumsy attack and bringing her sword down neatly decapitated the demon that attempted it. Always go for the killing blow as soon as you can she'd been taught and she wasn't one to ignore people's advice. Drusilla finally decided to get involved and holding her longsword like a lance ahead of her simply charged full pelt at another of their foes impaling it though failing to deliver enough damage to prevent it rearing back and slicing her across the chest with one of its forelimbs.

Reaching back to where it was slung Angel grabbed his own grenade launcher and as Spike fired his fourth canister round he fired another past his head, the blast barely missing him before it tore into the heaving mass of demon bugs. At this point blank range many of the pellets kept going after smashing through the first demon they struck going on to cause fearsome injuries to those behind also.

Ignoring the thunderous roar of the launchers Harmony dove to the side in a display of martial arts prowess that would have greatly surprised anyone who hadn't seen her let her vampire side out before, and she slashed out with her sword removing a limb on the last of the four demons which had been inside the Temple with the Priest. It fell to the side and now completely holding the initiative Harmony hacked it to pieces as Drusilla finally finished off the one she had impaled, ignoring the claws it drove into her as she vamped out and sunk her teeth into its neck, tearing open a far larger hole than was needed to feed from.

Harmony slugged the Priest who had made no attempt to flee or fight itself sending him spiralling away unconscious. 'Fight now lunch later' she told Drusilla who was now drenched in blood, both the demons and her own.

The canister rounds had shattered the demon ranks before the launchers ran out and Angel and Spike threw themselves into the fray swords and brass knuckles against teeth and claws. It was a right good scrap Spike described it afterwards as they taught the bugs that technique and practice could be than a match for strength and fanaticism.

With Harmony and eventually a satiated Drusilla joining in they soon began to relentlessly cleave their way through Jasmines demonic worshippers. The narrow passage prevented their numerically superior opponent utilising that advantage and fighting side by side the four vampires eventually slew the last.

'Just like the old days Daddy' Drusilla declared, 'the bugs are yummy' she said. 'Better than pigs blood.'

Harmony bent down dipped her finger in the pool of demon blood at her feet and put it ion her mouth to taste it. 'Needs vole' she said after a moment savouring the flavour, 'or oregano' she suggested. 'Guardian of the Word dude is KO'ed back there' she said, 'no sign of the guy with the stitched up lips Illyria talked about' she added.

'We'll get the little Priest dude to confess sharpish won't we pet?' Spike asked Drusilla. 'Are you alright love?' he asked sympathetically looking at her wounds. Both he and Angel had been sliced up some too but the Gems of Amarra were already closing up their wounds.

'Big nasty bugs have a big nasty sting' Drusilla responded. 'But they _are_ yummy' she added, spotting one that was still breathing, albeit barely, and heading towards it to feed again.

'Spike scout the Temple with Harmony in case the Keeper of the Word is hiding out' Angel ordered. 'I'll wake up the Priest and get him to talk' he said.

'Will do mate' Spike responded, 'come on Harm, the wanker has spoken' he said.

Angel reloaded his grenade launcher just in case and then finding an ornate container filled with water threw it over the Guardian of the Word to wake him up. Upon being told later by the Priest it had been Holy Water the vampire was less than surprised to have found out that water blessed by Jasmine's Priests didn't burn him, she might be a God to some but she was after all, an evil bitch.

**Shadow Valley – California – December 2004**

The swirling Portal Vortex opened in the centre of the sports hall which was still in the process of being decorated and Illyria stepped out clad in her red armour, this time the outfit topped by a jaunty Santa Hat.

'Mrs Claus has lost weight and gone for a new look' Buffy joked, walking over.

'I have bought presents from those that dwell in the Hyperion to go under your tree' Illyria stated, putting down a large cloth sack she was carrying.

'Wesley phoned ahead to tell us you were coming and to clear the middle of the hall' Buffy replied. 'Nice hat' she said.

'I am told it is suitably festive' Ilyria responded. 'As well as presents I also bring news from Angel who has returned this morning from his mission' she said.

'Everyone back okay?' Buffy asked.

'Yes and they managed to locate two more of the Portal Orbs after some searching and combat' Illyria replied. 'The information they bought back is of greater import however' she said. 'We now know the origins of Jasmine's Crusade and who bares responsibility for it.'

'Jasmine you mean?' Buffy queried.

'No she merely took advantage of a previously existing set of circumstances to once again arrange her rebirth in a world more conducive to her goals' Illyria replied.

'So whose fault is it then if not Jasmines?' Buffy asked in confusion.

'To some extent mine' Illyria replied flatly.

Buffy blinked and then she angrily pointed an accusing finger at the God-King. 'What did you _do_ Illyria?' she snarled.

'I foolishly obeyed your instructions rather than ignore them as I should have' Illyria replied. 'The decision which was made that may ultimately lead to the deaths of millions and the enslavement of billions of your race was your own' she told Buffy. 'I hope this will not spoil your Christmas however' she added in an upbeat manner, Enyo had been advising a more affable manner hence the hat.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_This fanfic runs on reviews, explanations next chapter ;-)_


	19. Chapter 19

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

**Shadow****Valley**** – ****California**** – December 2004**

Buffy sat in her chair in what everyone was now calling the "War Room" and stared blankly into space. 'It wasn't my fault' she said quietly, 'I didn't know' she continued, 'How could I have known?' she asked.

Sitting next to Willow and still wearing her Santa Hat because nobody had yet advised her it didn't exactly suit the circumstances, Illyria rested her hands on the large table and meshed her fingers. 'In all fairness you could not' she conceded, 'though perhaps you might accord me the same courtesy of not blaming me in future for any unforeseen side-effects of my own actions' the God-King observed.

Xander took a breath and let it out slowly. 'So let me get this straight' be began, 'the bug that came looking for Jasmine over a year ago, the one Angel and Connor caught in the sewers, _that's_ the bug which started everything?' he asked

'Correct' Illyria replied. 'When I returned it to its home dimension alive at Buffy's insistence it gathered up the remaining Jasmine Loyalists and launched a jihad against those of its own kind which had abandoned the faith. Along with the Guardian of the Word, it called for betrayers and unbelievers to be annihilated' she said, 'such was their ferocity and depth of belief, in less than half a year they killed or converted the majority to their cause.'

'Pretty good going' Willow noted.

'The Taliban took less than two years from their first offensive to controlling most of Afghanistan' Giles noted, 'Religious zealotry is a powerful thing' he said. 'Think how long the Soviet Union spent trying to do the same thing with infinitely more resources.'

'And they call that bug a prophet?' Xander queried.

'Why not?' Illyria asked, 'after all it went on a quest to seek out its God and returned through a portal with both visions and a renewed faith' she said.

'Visions?' Kennedy asked. As the technically unofficial, but still widely accepted third in command of the slayers she had been asked to attend the meeting and was sat across from Illyria and next to Giles.

Illyria nodded. 'Experiences it could not fully understand in truth' she explained. 'Connor used a stun-gun to repeatedly give it electrical shocks, it was driven in the back of Gunn's truck, it was assailed by powerful unfamiliar word magicks from Willow when she tried to get it to talk and finally it was injected with My Wesley's special truth serum, a mixture of Sodium Pentathal and a small quantity of Orpheus.'

Willow's jaw dropped. 'It was stoned out of its mind but it thought it was seeing beyond' she exclaimed.

'Correct' Illyria responded, 'to quote Faith when Angel reported the story to us at the Hyperion, "bug boy was trippin and thought he'd got himself in touch with the almighty".'

Buffy fought back the urge to drop her head into her hands on the table. 'It was still high when we sent it back' she said.

Illyria nodded. 'Many of its brethren witnessed its return through the portal I opened and heard the near gibberish it was spouting about the Blessed Devourer and her enemies' she said. 'Many thought it was insane, still more thought it was lying, but when it visited the Temple of the Word and the Priest there confirmed it was telling the complete truth and had found the world where Jasmine had tried to be reborn, her remaining followers flocked to his banner.'

'A warrior prophet returned from the wilderness to lead the righteous' Giles said, shaking his head sadly.

'It started a holy war to convert or kill those who had abandoned the faith and this soon spread right across their world' Illyria told them. 'The creature itself was a mage of sorts amongst its people, and it utilised its blood-magicks to help crush any resistance to the religious rebirth' she said, 'within the equivalent of six months, as I said, they came to dominate their world and began to look to others.'

'Why?'Willow asked.

'Jasmine chose not to return to their realm' Illyria replied, 'they therefore consider it to be clearly unworthy in her eyes and they must prepare alternatives that might be seen by her as acceptable instead' she explained. 'Conquering other dimensions in advance to establish control is required before Jasmine's enemies seek to prevent her rebirth' the God-King continued. 'They have an enemy now, evildoers that exist in opposition to their god, nothing unites a people like an external threat.'

'Us' Buffy spoke up again. 'We're the enemy' she said.

'We are' Illyria confirmed, 'myself being singled out in particular as a being of great power the Prophet encountered' Illyria replied. 'It seems I am cast in the role of Lucifer, or perhaps the Anti-Jasmine' she said wryly. 'During its confinement and interrogation the bug creature was told that my intervention had prevented the birth of its god, so I am now the individual the young of that world are told will get them if they do not obey their parents and say their prayers to the Blessed Devourer every night before they go to bed.'

'Illyria makes work for idle claws' Xander joked, though even he failed to smile. 'So what do we do about it?' he asked.

Giles leaned back in his chair. 'The creatures are fanatical, extremely numerous and have the ability to travel to other dimensions' he said. 'Clearly we cannot simply ignore the threat, The hordes of Jamine crusaders from Enyo's future must be prevented.'

Illyria looked around. 'This is an opportunity we cannot squander' she said. 'Their crusade has barely begun, they cannot have invaded more than a tiny number of worlds by this point, Jasmine herself does not appear to have risen to lead them personally yet either, though we know she will at some point, and the Priest did not know of any of the large rock-like demons having yet joined their cause' she continued. 'Crush them now' she declared forcefully, standing up and thumping the table for effect, 'rally our forces and launch an offensive to break them while they are still so weak.'

'I'm with Blue' Kennedy stated. 'I've seen some of the footage Enyo bought back of the Dimension Wars' she said. 'Kick their ass before they're ready to fight.'

'We only just finished fighting on Pylea and you expect us to go to war again?' Willow asked her girlfriend.

Giles crossed his arms. 'Imagine if Britain and France had known the future in 1938, wouldn't they have been right to go to war against Nazi Germany before Hitler was ready?' he asked. 'It would have saved millions of lives' he noted.

'There is no negotiating or appeasement with religious fanatics of this ilk' Illyria stated, 'even if we cannot stop the crusade completely, and it may already be too late' she admitted, 'we _can_ contain the threat and buy ourselves more time to meet the other future threat posed by the First Evil' she continued. 'If we prevent them gaining momentum at the start we may even cause some of their number to doubt the cause, success breeds further success and high morale, failure breeds only discontent and doubt.'

'But what if they _don't_ lose the faith, what if they stay true, what do we do then?' Willow asked.

'Eventually genocide may be the only solution' Illyria replied flatly. 'We exterminate them' she continued, 'They are widely referred to as insects or bugs, think of it as pest control if you find that notion easier to stomach.'

'We can't wipe out an entire race' Willow protested.

'You would prefer to let them live, knowing they will continue to enslave worlds full of your own species so that they can be brainwashed worshippers and food to Jasmine?' Illyria asked. 'It was an act of mercy by Buffy that led us to this point, how many innocent lives do you think your clear conscience is worth?' she queried.

Buffy squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again. 'We can't prevaricate on this' she stated, 'I want to talk to Angel myself but unless Illyria is making the whole thing up she's right, Jasmine is a cancer and we've caught it early enough to treat it' she said, voice now steady and authoritative.

'If you wish to attempt radiotherapy or chemo I can readily obtain nuclear weapons or nerve gases' Illyria replied with apparent amusement at the slayers metaphor.

'We'll try surgery first' Buffy replied, 'cut out the tumour before it grows any more.'

'A surgical strike' Illyria observed, 'scythes instead of scalpels, I approve' she said. 'We might also wish to pursue a campaign of psychological terror aimed at the enemy's morale, if we can break their spirit we will need to shatter less of their bodies. As for verifying the story you need not rely on the halfbreed either, he returned with Jasmine's Priest who is now in detention pending more detailed interrogation.'

'Psychological terror?' Giles queried.

'Expose them to that which they have come to fear' Illyria explained. 'They have made me their devil, they perceive me as powerful enough to oppose their god, so we would be foolish not to exploit that' she said. 'I will demonstrate my power, allow them to witness my wrath and in her absence show them that Jasmine is nowhere, Illyria is the way' she said. 'We should be able to decipher their written language, I may paint that slogan on their temples' she added, pleased at the notion.

Buffy pursed her lips. 'FYI,' she began, 'if you're planning a "Shock and Awe" campaign you might consider losing the Santa Hat' she told Illyria.

'It's not me is it?' the God-King asked the room to a unanimous shaking of heads.

**Hyperion**** Hotel – Los Angeles – December 2004**

Ashton swallowed the mouthful of turkey with cranberry sauce he had been chewing on and gestured with his fork. 'NBC Gear' he said. 'If it's just chlorine any decent gas mask will filter it out and even the full protective suits I trained with in the Canadian Airborne or the Legion you can wear for days' he continued. 'They're hot and uncomfortable but you can fight in them' the mercenary stated.

'NBC?' Harmony sitting beside him asked.

'Nuclear, Biological and Chemical warfare' Ashton replied. 'People don't train as much for it now than they did in the Cold War, you might even be able to get a load of the surplus suits cheap' he noted.

'Fred has Knox analysing an air sample we bought back' Angel replied, reaching for his glass of wine.

'_Fred_ told Knox to wait until after Christmas' Fred responded, '_Fred _would also like the shop talk to end' she chided.

'Yes Ma'am' Ashton replied. 'Thanks again for letting me crash the family dinner' he said. It really was almost like a family affair with several tables in the dining room pushed together into one long one and the entire population of the hotel sat around it. Ashton had found himself opposite Dana which didn't bother him anywhere near as much as it bothered Harmony who kept meeting the slayers intense gaze and having to look away. The mercenary had met plenty of lunatics in his time and at least this one wasn't wearing officer's insignia.

'So you're going to portal to Shadow Valley after dinner?' Wesley asked Dawn.

Dawn nodded. 'They're eating later than we are' she said, 'that's why I'm only picking at my food' she explained, 'I'm having two Christmas dinners today' she said. 'Connor has a place there too' she continued indicating her boyfriend who was shovelling food into his own mouth at a rate of knots. 'He doesn't have to worry about putting on a few pounds though' she said. Connor could quite happily eat _three_ dinners, his metabolism was far from being human normal.

'Dawn _you_ don't need to worry about gaining a few extra pounds either trust me' Faith responded. She and Illyria were sat to Wesley's left and right, both were under strict instructions that arguing on Christmas was strictly verboten. 'Rebecca says she's going to hitch a lift' she continued indicating her daughter who was regarding the brussels sprouts her father had insisted upon putting on her plate with clear distaste, the fact she told him she would much sooner eat the one of the row of candles lining the table should have gotten the message across but he wasn't listening.

Rebecca looked up. 'I was going to teleport but if Dawn was opening a portal anyhow I might as well go with her' she said. 'I can wear a skirt if I'm not going to be falling' she said.

Illyria fixed her with a stare. 'We must find a way for you to teleport or open portals that does not involve dropping to the ground at the other end' she said. 'It is far from befitting the dignity of my Heir' she stated.

'I tried for years, I just can't do it' Rebecca responded. 'Ask Enyo' she said and her hair and eye colour shifted indicating she had given up control to Illyria's spawn. 'It is true Mother' Enyo said, 'with two distinct personalities always vying for control the focus required for pin-point teleportation cannot be achieved.'

'Are you quitting on me' Illyria asked coldly.

'No Mother' Enyo responded.

'Then keep practicing' Illyria told her, 'and eat your spouts' she told her.

Gunn couldn't help but grin as the God-Princess of the Holocene opened her mouth to protest and then thinking better of it speared one of the vegetables with a fork and popped it into her mouth. 'They're really gods?' Anne asked him quietly, after dinner she herself was heading straight back to the shelter to serve Christmas dinner to the teens there.

'Yeah' Gunn replied, 'the blond down the far end too' he said indicating Glory who was spending most of her time glaring at Ashton and bemoaning the fact that you couldn't get a decent plate of ambrosia in this dimension. 'They're a long way from omnipotent but they can do some funky-assed stuff when they want too' he told her.

Spike wandered back to the table and dropped into his chair. 'I gave Dru her dinner and a pint of blood' he told Gunn. 'She was still playing with the box and ribbons that my present was wrapped in when I left her.'

'Dru?' Anne repeated, 'that's the insane evil vampire one right?' she checked.

'Yeah' Gunn replied. 'Spike's ex' he said.

'Nutty as a fruitcake but she loves Christmas' Spike told them.

'She knocked at my door carol singing last night' Gunn said. 'Scared the crap out of me' he told them with a shudder. 'Good singing voice though' he noted, 'Lorne was surprised, he stuck his head out into the corridor to find out who was doing it.'

'Voice of an angel and the aura of a fallen one' Lorne spoke up. 'Well not the voice of _our_ Angel' he said taking a sip from a glass of something brightly coloured with a cocktail umbrella in it.

Gunn laughed. 'Hey boss' he said loudly, 'I've got to know, could you hold a note before you died?' he asked Angel.

Angel frowned. 'I only sang when I was drunk and everyone else in the pub was drunk too.'

'I don't know if I could _get_ drunk enough to stand listening to you singing' Wesley remarked loudly.

'Hey' Angel protested.

'What did you sing?' Fred asked.

'Nothing you'd know' Angel replied, then paused. 'I tell a lie' he said, 'does anybody know the garyowen?' he asked.

'Yeah' Ashton replied. 'Singing was a big thing in the Foreign Legion' he said. 'It wasn't one of our marching songs but the English speaking guys used to belt it out in the bar sometimes' he said. 'Not bad for an old tune' he said.

'It was brand new when I learned it' Angel told him.

Enyo raised her hand. 'I know the version we sang during the Dimension Wars' she said , then shrugged when Angel looked at her. 'The Seventh Cavalry rewrote the lyrics so we did too' she told him.

'Care to offer a rendition?' Lorne asked.

Enyo shook her head. 'No' she said, but Rebecca is willing' she continued and her hair and eye colour shifted back. 'Give me a second' Rebecca said running the lyrics through her mind before starting to sing.

-

'_Oh sisters be ye not dismayed _

_But trust in your enchanted blade _

_Come drink and sing and lend your aid _

_To help me with the chorus_

_-_

_Demonic Legions we'll assail _

_In dark dimensions we'll prevail _

_We'd storm the very gates of hell,_

_for__ Shadow Valley and glory!_

_-_

_We are the girls who take delight _

_In setting __Turok'Han__ alight _

_And to the dark worlds take the fight _

_Slaying all before us_

_-_

_Demonic Legions we'll assail _

_In dark dimensions we'll prevail _

_We'd storm the very gates of hell,_

_for__ Shadow Valley and glory!_

_-_

_We'll shatter bones and kick down doors _

_The foe we'll meet with total war _

_And let the mystics work their cures _

_To heal our mortal wounded_

_-_

_Demonic Legions we'll assail _

_In dark dimensions we'll prevail _

_We'd storm the very gates of hell,_

_for__ Shadow Valley and glory!_

_-_

_We'll scythe the __hellgods__ out of fun _

_Make fearsome monsters scream and run _

_We fight with stake and sword and gun _

_To do our slayer duty_

_-_

_Demonic Legions we'll assail _

_In dark dimensions we'll prevail _

_We'd storm the very gates of hell,_

_for__ Shadow Valley and glory!_

_-_

_With valiant hearts as one of the chain _

_Our scythes so sharp have won us fame _

_Where'er__ we portal they fear the name_

_of__ Shadow Valley in glory_

_-_

_Demonic Legions we'll assail _

_In dark dimensions we'll prevail _

_We'd storm the very gates of hell,_

_for__ Shadow Valley and glory!_'

-

'So...' Dawn began, 'pretty gung-ho where you came from?' she asked, being the first to speak up after the girl finished the final chorus.

'It's better when there's at least twenty girls joining in the chorus and you're all wasted' Rebecca replied. 'And yes we were' she agreed, 'product of the age we lived in.'

'Not sure about the all the sentiments muffin but you can carry a tune' Lorne told her.

'Singing lessons' Rebecca explained, 'from you' she told him. 'If there's a talent show for minor deities I'm a cert' she said with a grin. 'Aunty Fred taught me some ballet too' she added.

'I took lessons for a few years when I was young' Fred explained when people turned to her. 'Gave it up for physics' she continued, and weed she thought to herself, it was hard to motivate yourself when you got stoned all the time with your friends. Ballet was too much like hard work and required dedication she didn't give, on the plus side by giving it up her feet were probably in much better condition than they would have been otherwise.

'Hey where's Nina?' Gunn asked, suddenly realising she wasn't present.

'Christmas dinner with her sister and niece' Angel replied. 'She's bringing them here later' he continued, 'no weirdness from _anybody_' he told the group forcefully, 'they still don't even know she's a werewolf yet let alone I'm a vampire and what we do for a living' he said.

'I'll be in the bar all night' Lorne replied, 'keep them out of there and you'll be peachy' he said, 'I can't pass for human without having to get Willow to cast a glamour and I've already asked her to do that for my upcoming holiday in Tahiti' he said.

'Thanks Lorne' Angel told him. 'And remember that Nina's niece Amanda is a kid so can we watch the language too?' he asked. 'I'm looking at Faith and Ashton here' he said.

'I don't mean this literally but bite me fang' Faith responded.

'I'll swear in Pylean' the mercenary offered, the idea of _not_ peppering his speech with obscenities, especially when he planned to get drunk, just wasn't going to happen.

'You can speak Pylean?' Fred asked brightly.

'No but he knows so many swearwords he taught me some' Lorne interrupted. 'The tall quiet one is fluent but his accent is awful.'

'His French, English and I'm guessing his German is the same' Ashton remarked. 'He's learns them but he never says enough in _any_ language to practice it properly.'

'I'm good with languages' Dawn announced, 'written more than spoken' she admitted.

'I can speak some of the Quar-Toth tongues' Connor said.

'You never told me that' Dawn responded in surprise.

'When I said _some_ I meant it' Connor replied, 'it's mostly knowing how to say "please don't kill me" in half a dozen dialects because that was about all they got to say before I did.'

'It is a pity Buffy did not share your views on mercy towards vanquished hostile demons or we would not be in the situation we are' Illyria observed.

Rebecca growled. 'No shit' she said, reaching for the salt.

**Shadow Valley – California – December 2004**

Even with some of the girls choosing to take some leave to go home for Christmas the sheer number of people staying at the new Slayer Joint Headquarters and Training Academy made having a meal together in the canteen impossible which is why they had set the tables up in the sports hall. Four rows of parallel tables reached almost from one end of the hall to the other and it was still pretty cramped with everyone shoulder to shoulder.

One single shorter row went crosswise at the head of the others with Buffy sat in the middle of the line like a medieval monarch looking out over her subjects, the senior members of her court sat alongside to left and right. Xander had already offered to lead a toast to "Good Queen Buff" but she told him she felt ridiculous and self-conscious enough already.

'I thought you said he already ate?' Anya asked Dawn watching Connor assault his second Christmas Dinner of the day.

'He did and if he gets indigestion from eating so fast he'll get no sympathy from me' Dawn replied. It felt awkward being with Buffy again, even if only for a few hours. They were still at loggerheads over her decision to stay with Connor at the Hyperion instead of moving to Shadow Valley and hadn't exchanged too many words since.

'Last minute electioneering before next weeks vote?' Xander asked, indicating Rebecca who was at the far end of the hall talking to Vi and a mass of gunslayers who had needless to say all sat down together.

'I don't think she needs to' Dawn replied, 'I think her hardline stance is a certainty to get her elected given recent... revelations' she said, momentarily making eye contact with Buffy, both of them looking away. 'I think she's teaching them a song, Ashton thought they might like it' she said.

Robin Wood poured himself another glass of wine then did the same for Giles sat next to him. 'The twins look like they're having a good time' he told him, indicating the two girls who were sat amongst the slayers in the hall both with tinsel in their hair, different colours of course.

Giles smiled. 'I got rudely awakened at an ungodly hour by knocking at my bedroom door' he said. 'I told them they could open one present each and to let me go back to bed for an hour' he said.

'How was the Service?' Wood asked. 'I heard you took them and a few others to the nearest Episcopalian Church.'

'The nearest was still too far for my liking, especially in a bus' he said. 'There were more Anglicans around here than I thought' he said. 'Several of the girls you tracked down and shipped over here from Africa were members of churches affiliated to the Anglican Communion so they tagged along, I'm not sure what the Reverend thought of it all when we all turned up en-masse.'

'That's what you get for having that Empire you people set up' Wood told him.

'It was worth it to leave behind so many English speakers we didn't have to learn anything else when we went on holiday' Giles replied tongue-in-cheek. 'Fatherhood grows on you' he added seriously after taking a sip of the wine Robin had poured him, 'though I'm not sure how I'll cope when the twins start bringing home boys' he said, 'at least with Emily I have the advantage that Stephen knows me well enough to fear my wrath.'

'I can see that being an advantage' Wood agreed with a smile. 'Not sure about ever wanting to have children myself' he said.

Giles chuckled. 'Then you might want to pay close attention to Illyria's notion of breeding programs' he said. 'You carry the vaunted slayer gene after all' he said.

'So I'm told' Wood replied, starting on his dinner again.

Down amongst the masses Rebecca nodded her agreement. 'Okay I'll type up the words and print out a few copies' she agreed.

'If you can find the music I can join in' one of the gunslayers told her. 'I play the flute' she explained, 'I need the practice after all that time in Pylea anyway' she added.

'Cool' Rebecca replied. 'Gotta go, voters to schmooze with at the other end of the table' she announced. 'Talk later' she said, wandering off.

Vi smiled. 'I was going to vote for Caroline because she was the only one of the girls standing who fought the Turok'Han at Sunnydale but she didn't make as much effort so now I'm not sure.'

'They might both get elected' Charlotte pointed out, 'ten candidates running for five seats on the council and I think a couple of them only entered for a joke anyway' she opined. 'Unless those performances at the debates were really the best they could do and they're dumber than a family of retarded Chirago Demons' she said.

Towering above everyone in the vicinity, even sat down some of the girls walking past were at eye level, Perković couldn't help but shuffle awkwardly when Vi sitting next to him decided to put her hand on his thigh. He wasn't sure it was the age gap, he was still only in his mid twenties despite a fairly impressive military career in two armies before becoming a mercenary but if it wasn't it was the fact that for the last year Vi had technically been his commanding officer. It mystified all concerned how the two of them had possibly exchanged enough words to realise a mutual attraction but somehow it had occurred and now the mercenary reported to Buffy he had made his move, also pretty awkwardly he had to admit.

'Is that your cellphone?' Vi asked hearing a tune playing. Like everyone else in the organisation Perković had been issued one so he could be reached at any time.

Taking it from his pocket the mercenary checked the caller ID. 'Ashton' he explained then put it to his ear, breaking out into a grin a few seconds later Perković put the cellphone down on the table still switched on and picked up his glass of wine raising it in salute. 'Vive le mort, vive la guerre, vive le sacre mercenaire' he toasted loudly and enthusiastically, Ashton's voice audibly joining in from the cellphone. Perković downed the glass in one then picking up the phone wished his friend a Merry Christmas before hanging up.

'What was that about?' one of the girls asked.

'The mercenary toast' Perković explained. 'Long live death, long live war, long live the cursed mercenaries' he translated. 'Ashton is already drunk' he noted.

'I'm shocked, shocked I tell you' Denise commented, as deadpan as she could. 'So when can we expect to hear the tiny patter of combat boots?' she asked Vi. 'Oh come on, we all know what the world really needs is more shy seven foot tall people who don't say much but shoot like Jesse James' she said.

Vi blushed, Janko merely smiled and put his cellphone back in his pocket.

Buffy looked out over the hundreds of people that she was responsible and wondered how many of them she was going to get killed before next Christmas, she held their fates in her hands and the responsibility was oppressive. The most seemingly trivial decision, such as having Illyria send the bug home instead of killing it, could have the direst consequences and she made such decisions constantly. She couldn't even delegate very much because she wouldn't wish anyone else to bear the burden she was chosen by fate to take, it wasn't fair on them.

Xander noticed something was wrong in Buffy's eyes and catching her attention gave her a smile and a wink. 'Going to make a speech?' he asked.

'Hadn't planned to' Buffy replied, smiling back. Trust Xander to notice she was getting maudlin, she thought.

'Oh thank God' Giles said quietly, 'oh bugger did I say that out loud?' he asked nervously when Buffy turned to him narrowing her eyes.

'What's wrong with my speeches?' Buffy asked Giles irately.

Giles grimaced. 'I would never say anything negative about your speeches' he replied, then put on a considered expression. 'Anya' he said breaking out into a grin, 'you're on' he said.

Anya put down her fork. 'Well...' she began, starting a list in her mind.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_If you can't quite recall the back story with the bug "prophet" you'll find it back in Chapters 20/21 of the second story in the series **Compelled to Play by New Rules** (yes I set this plot up quite a while ago). The garyowen (never "Gary Owen") was a popular 18th Century Irish drinking song for exactly the type of crowd the young Angel would have hung around with, look it up on wikipedia to see the original lyrics (they're fairly amusing). The French Foreign Legion do pride themselves on their singing, indeed singing lessons are a compulsary part of their basic training. Their main marching song "Le Boudin" is quite funny too when you know what the lyrics are, they sing them so earnestly too :-p_

_Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!_

_Jon (Hotpoint)._


	20. Chapter 20

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****TWENTY**

**Shadow Valley – California – ****January 2005**

'Smells like a swimming pool in here' Amanda declared, sniffing the air inside the laboratory.

'We opened the detention cells to give our guest his lunch earlier' Knox replied swivelling in his office chair to face her. 'He breathes easier with some chlorine in the air so we've been providing some through the cells ventilation system' he explained, 'not enough to be toxic to us, just enough to make him stop wheezing so much.'

'Thoughtful' Amanda told him, leaning in for a quick kiss before Buffy and the others arrived.

'If he dies we lose a valuable source of information' Knox replied. 'Even back at Wolfram Hart when we stuck people in the dungeons we made sure the conditions weren't possibly life-threatening, just unpleasant' he said. 'Jasmine's Priest wasn't in a good way when they bought him from the Hyperion but he's stabilised now.'

'Found out much more?' Amanda asked.

'No I think Angel and Wesley's interrogation techniques were suitably effective, he'd already spilled most of what he knew before we took custody from them' Knox replied. 'One of the reasons he's stabilised is that he's not being slapped around anymore.'

Amanda shook her head. 'I can't imagine beating up on a guy that size' she said.

'Size has nothing to do with it' Buffy interrupted, walking into the lab with Vi in tow, 'I once had to slay a fear demon named Gachnar who was six inches tall' she said. 'Stomped on him like a cockroach, had to scrape what was left off my shoe.'

'Gross' Amanda responded, sticking out her tongue in distaste.

'It's not all glorious fights against huge monsters' Buffy noted with a shrug. 'So what did you ask me to come down here to see?' she asked Knox.

Knox turned in his chair so he could pick a few small objects off his desk and show them to the Chief Slayer. 'These are why I wanted to see you but I _did_ offer to come to your office' he pointed out.

'Bullets' Buffy said, 'why are you showing me bullets?' she asked with some annoyance.

'They're done?' Vi exclaimed enthusiastically in surprise 'Already?' she asked. 'Wesley mentioned you were working on it but I never expected them so soon.'

'Now you see I _know_ why you asked Annie Oakley here to come see those but...' Buffy began.

'They're special' Vi told her seriously.

Buffy sighed. 'Okay' she said, 'tell me about the "special" bullets' she said resignedly. 'I've got to meet and greet the new witches arriving today so don't stretch this out' she added.

'Whatever you say chief' Knox replied. 'Now you know that we've started production of our new standard issue carbines at our manufacturing facility in China?'

'Yes' Buffy replied, 'they fire those Gren-whatever bullets that are supposed to be all shiny and extra-good' she said.

'Improved copies of the Heckler and Koch G-36K Carbines rechambered from 5.56 millimetre to the 6.5 millimetre Grendel catridge' Vi told her. 'More stopping power, better long range accuracy' she explained.

Knox nodded. 'Right' he said, 'we've already begun manufacture of our own ammunition for them too, tungsten-cored armour-piercing as well as tracer and standard rounds but what we _never _had was a bullet which was more than marginally effective against vampires' he said. 'Until now' he added holding up one of the bullets which Buffy now looked at with more interest.

'What is it?' Buffy asked, 'wood?' she queried, they didn't look like wood.

Knox shook his head. 'Not enough mass to work properly' he said. 'We know from the information Enyo supplied that they found tracer to be better against vampires than ordinary ammunition so I did some research on those lines and came across something ideal for the job' he said. 'The surprising thing was that it was invented by the British Army in World War One.'

Buffy blinked. 'The British Army were fighting vampires in World War One?' she asked in confusion.

'No' Knox replied with a smile. 'Zeppelins' he said.

'Zeppelins?' Buffy repeated, narrowing her eyes.

'Yes' Knox affirmed. 'During The First World War the Germans starting bombing England using airships, now these things were filled with hydrogen which made them inflammable, but ordinary bullets only poked holes in them, they wouldn't make them explode' he said. 'So the British went away and designed a new type of bullet which was filled to the brim with phosphorus and tore through the air like a little ball of fire' he said.

'Think a tracer or normal incendiary bullet on steroids' Vi interjected.

Knox turned the bullet over between his fingers. 'It's called "Buckingham" after its inventor' he said. 'I tweaked the design a little more because we're a century more advanced so maybe they should be called Knox-Buckingham, or Buckingham-Knox' he suggested, 'Bucky-Knox?' he rambled before continuing. 'It's not as hard hitting as a normal bullet because phosphorus is less dense than lead' he said, 'and it's not remotely accurate at long range either, because the bullet gets lighter and lighter as it burns ruining the ballistics' he continued, 'but if you want to blow up a big target like a Zeppelin, or shoot a vampire at say less than a hundred yards it's _perfect_' he declared.

'It probably won't set them completely on fire' Vi noted, 'but when it goes in the chances are it won't go back out because the lighter bullet has less kinetic energy and is more likely to stop when it runs into something' she said, 'it'll lodge inside the vampire and it'll _keep_ burning until all the phosphorus is used up.'

'Ouch' Amanda said with a grimace.

'Vampires don't like fire' Buffy observed, 'burns take them longer to heal than ordinary wounds' she said.

Vi beamed. 'Yup' she agreed. 'The bullets hurt a hell of a lot more going in and the effects are longer lasting too' she said. 'You can riddle a vampire with holes from normal bullets and if you don't stake it straight way it'll be back up and trying to rip your throat out a few minutes later' she noted. 'A couple of rounds of Buckingham and the fucker would still be writhing around on the ground screaming.'

'A short burst would likely have a Turok'Han doing the same' Knox added.

'So is this what they used in Enyo's time then?' Buffy asked.

Knox shook his head. 'No they took a different approach because they were fighting the rock demons as well as Turok'Han and wanted something with more punch' he said. 'Vi knows more about that than I do' he admitted.

Vi nodded. 'You know we moved from 5.56 millimetre to 6.5' she began, well they kept right on going and skipped 7.62 NATO completely to start making their own custom assault rifles chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum' she said, 'that's 8.6 millimetre' she noted.

'Does that make much of a difference?' Buffy queried.

'Our new 6.5's produce nineteen-hundred foot-pounds of muzzle energy which puts them way ahead of the M16's the army uses' vi answered, 'well the 8.6 produces well over twice that again, roughly _forty-eight_-hundred foot-pounds' Vi answered. 'They hit like an express train, in some countries they use them to hunt buffalo or even rhino!' she declared. 'Only a slayer could possibly handle the recoil of an assault rifle firing it on full-auto but hardly anything wouldn't be in a bad way after getting shot up with it.'

'We have the blueprints and with your authorisation after we've made enough of our rechambered G-36K's we're going to start low-key production of the rifles they used in Enyo's time too' Knox added.

'Only for emergency stocks not immediate deployment, they're overkill for normal use' Vi explained, 'but we figure better to have them in a warehouse not needed, than find we need them and not have them' she told Buffy. 'If we start meeting big and nasty demons we'll already have the big and nasty guns we need to fight them.'

Buffy nodded slowly. 'Can't argue with that' she said eventually, she wasn't a fan of firearms but she was too smart to ignore the evidence of how useful they had been in making up for lack of numbers. 'Put the authorisation on my desk and I'll sign it' she said. 'As for the rifles you're making now' she said, 'how soon can you have enough to the girls going to the bug dimension?' she asked.

'Conservatively the first week of February' Knox answered, 'we've only just started the production line and there's bound to be some initial issues with quality control and problems with the production line' he said. 'We head-hunted some experienced munitions people and weapon-smiths to run the place through Emil, and our factory staff are downright enthusiastic because we're paying well above the average wage there plus benefits, but it's still a brand-new operation and it'll take a while to get the kinks out' he told her apologetically.

'I wouldn't be happy going any sooner if it meant taking our current five-point-fifty-six carbines up against the bugs' Vi told Buffy quickly. 'They're built tough' she said 'and Angel says they don't quit easily' she said 'Anyhow we need to train in the NBC Suits first, and they won't arrive until towards the middle of January at the earliest' she said. 'Emil doesn't get much call for it.'

'Okay' Buffy replied, 'you're the expert' she said.

'No mostly I make it up as I go along and listen to a lot of good advice' Vi admitted honestly. 'I've never even _seen_ a gas-mask in real life, let alone worn one' she admitted. 'Janko says wearing them sucks' she noted. 'They're hot and ruin your peripheral vision.'

'You got a couple of full sentences out of Silent Bob?' Amanda asked in feigned amazement.

'He's more talkative with the right motivation' Vi replied with a sly smile.

'Let's skip the details on that' Buffy told her. 'Okay I've still got a few more minutes, how is Fred getting on with the new Portal Orbs Angel bought back?' she asked Knox.

'Slow progress' Knox replied, 'she thinks she can use an enchanted cedrian crystal based Geiger-Counter MacGyvered up to Dawn's Pathfinder unit to determine the dimensions they've been used to travel too before, but that's still theoretical so far' he said. 'Each portal leaves a trace on what's been through it, and they're distinct to individual worlds, but turning that into dimensional coordinates the Pathfinder can backtrack is another matter' he said.

Buffy crossed her arms. 'We know they were using those orbs to travel back and forth to the dimensions they've been crusading to' she said. 'I want to know where those are so we can portal over there ourselves and beat up on them some' she declared.

'They're going to be freaking surprised when we do' Amanda opined, grinning.

'I hope so' Buffy replied checking her watch, 'I've got to see a witch' she said. 'See you later' she told the others.

Vi turned to leave also but Knox called her back. 'Something else for you' he said. 'This one is courtesy of me and Xander' he told her, opening a draw in his desk and reaching.

'It's a bayonet' Vi said in surprise as Knox handed it to her. 'It's a _wooden_ bayonet.'

'Lignum vitae' Knox told her, 'from the species _Guaiacum __officinale_' he said. 'They call it "Iron Wood", it's the hardest, most dense type of wood on Earth' he explained. 'They've actually used that stuff to make engine bearings.'

'It's heavy' Vi said, testing the weight, 'really heavy, for a piece of wood I mean.'

'Sinks in water' Knox replied with a smile. 'Thought it might be a handy addition to the Buckingham if you're ever taking on vampires' he said, 'it'll snap into place on your carbines like one of the ordinary bayonets, put the vamps on the dirt with the super-incendiaries and then ram that thing through their chest' he suggested. 'No stopping to pull a stake from your pocket.'

'This is so cool' Vi enthused. It was thicker and heftier than a steel bayonet to add structural strength but it still looked the part and the wood was hard and dense enough to have a decently sharp point.

'Remember to thank Xander, he's making them I just came up with the idea' Knox replied. 'The God-King told me to do my best to find ways to fight her enemies and that means giving you the right tools for the job' he said.

'Why is s_he_ getting presents, not me?' Amanda asked, feigning outrage.

'From what I've seen you haven't gotten much use out of the Christmas present I got you yet' Knox replied.

'You got me _lingerie_' Amanda protested.

'Exactly!' Knox replied deadpan.

'I think I'll leave this conversation here' Vi interjected, 'before it turns into a domestic argument... or something I want to watch even less' she said with a wink as she turned and headed for the door again.

'Good call' Amanda called after her as she left the lab.

**Warehouse District – Cleveland – January 2005**

Shannon sat down at the apartment's kitchen table across from Andrew, putting her scythe down in front of her and picking up a cloth to wipe it down with.

'What type of demons?' Andrew asked, querying the unusual colour of the blood residue left on her scythe.

'New one on me' Shannon replied, 'teeth, claws and a bad attitude' she said. 'They weren't on my PDA database either, I took a picture with my camera phone and sent it to Shadow Valley to see if they've got any ideas.'

'Much trouble with them?' Andrew asked her, he himself was reassembling his pistol crossbow, you didn't want vampire dust building up in the trigger mechanism.

'They might have been a problem if I didn't have the slayers best friend here' Shannon replied, wiping down her scythe. 'They were hella strong and had skin like a crocodile or something' she said.

'Did you take a blood sample?' Andrew checked.

'In the fridge' Shannon told him, 'thought the brainiacs back at main base might want one so I filled up a test tube before getting rid of the bodies' she said. 'Don't want Kennedy to come back with anything to complain about' she continued. 'Dotted all the i's, crossed all the t's.'

Andrew nodded. 'We did okay you think?' he asked. Kennedy and Stephen were returning next week and he was hoping they'd be happy with the way things had gone in their absence.

'City hasn't fallen into the hellmouth, no explosion in the number of vampire or demon related human fatalities and no slayers in the hospital or the morgue' Shannon replied, 'I think we've done good' she said.

'I'm hoping they might give me my own field team' Andrew confided. 'You could be on it' he offered. 'Team leader.'

Shannon smiled. 'I like it here' she said, 'my boyfriend's in Cleveland and I might only be Kennedy's second-in-command but that's number two slayer on the hellmouth, major street-cred right there.'

Andrew frowned. 'My girlfriend's here too' he reminded her. How strange did it still feel saying_ that_, he thought.

Shannon tried to think of a diplomatic way to word the reply she wanted to make but nothing immediately sprang to mind. 'You could do better' she opined.

'Hey!' Andrew objected. 'I don't think that Greg you're dating is all that perfect either but_ I_ wouldn't have said it' he complained, his voice become a little whiny at the end.

Shannon put down the cloth and turned to face the girls watching TV in the living area of the large studio apartment. 'Can anybody give me their opinions on Andrew's chick?' she asked.

'Total skank' one of the girls replied immediately, still watching the TV.

'Dresses like Drusilla the psycho-vamp would if she had no class' a second opined.

'Skank' a third said.

'I already said that' the first pointed out.

'It bore repeating' the third replied.

'Bad table manners' another commented, sticking her head out of her bedroom door.

'What?' Andrew responded incredulously.

'Well she did' the slayer told him. 'My Mom would have killed me for behaving that way at Christmas dinner' she said. 'You cooked a really nice meal for us all' she said. 'She didn't even thank us for inviting her because she had nowhere else to go.'

'She thanked _me_' Andrew said.

'She should have thanked all of us' Shannon told him.

Andrew fought the blush creeping across his cheeks. 'Umm...' was all he could muster.

Shannon groaned. 'Okay' she said, 'reading between the lines there, the only one of us who _might_ have appreciated the _way_ she said thanks would have been Kennedy' she stated.

'You don't see the side of her I do' Andrew said defensively, 'she just spent too long hanging with the wrong crowd.'

'She was a freaking _vampire-groupie_' Shannon exclaimed, 'we all got warned about those weirdo's, and now because you dusted her undead, bloodsucking boy_fiend_ she's like some born-again _watcher_-groupie instead.'

'She needs someone to be considerate and nice to her' Andrew replied. 'She got some rough edges but I'll polish them out' he said optimistically.

Shannon sighed. 'Some people see a dilapidated building, some see a great fixer-upper opportunity' she said, shaking her head sadly. The problem was it was obvious to all concerned that Andrew was very inexperienced at romantic-type relationships for his age and he could be heading for a nasty fall. Normally it would be the watcher looking out for the slayer in these circumstances not the reverse, but for all his flaws and annoying traits Andrew was one of the team and they didn't think this was good for him.

Andrew cocked his crossbow and tested the trigger lock without a bolt loaded. 'Buffy slept with _actual _vampires' he muttered, 'but bang one ex vampire fangirl and everyone wants to give you relationship advice' he complained bitterly to himself.

**Shadow Valley – California – January 2005**

Medousa had decided to dress up especially for the occasion and was wearing her now rarely seen robes instead of the more contemporary clothes she usually wore these days. Other than a facetious observation from Xander as to where the toga party was, and a barely concealed smirk from Stirling, that was one Shadow Man not getting any action for a while the Guardian decided, everyone else had been most complementary.

The two new witches who had just arrived from the Coven in Devon which had been of so much assistance to both Giles and Willow were suitably honoured and impressed Medousa decided, as she greeted them in an ancient ritual which she then explained the significance of. It was certainly different to how they were greeted at the airport where Kennedy was asked to pick them up as a favour for Willow, Stephen tagging along for something to do. When asked for proof of identity by Kennedy Stephen interrupted that he knew a fool-proof way to know if they were really from Devon and asked them completely deadpan "how they make it so creamy" in a serious voice. Apparently it was hysterically funny, because the three Limey's cracked up laughing, but they didn't let Kennedy in on the joke ensuring she was in a bad mood all the way back to Shadow Valley.

Medousa had long decided that Willow and other like-minded female magic users were the natural heirs to herself and her traditions and she was hoping to bring them into the ancient sorority in a more formal way. They were meeting in Willow's office after she and Buffy had given them the tour and the Guardian was more than happy with her impressions so far. With their assistance, she thought, she could further reduce the malign influence of the wretched watchers over the slayer girls.

'You're really over three thousand years old?' Grace, the older of the two new arrivals asked. She herself gave off a definite "Earth-Mother" vibe which Anya later declared to bear the distinct quality of a "typical hippy wannabe born fifteen years too late" and which also seemed to complement Medousa's own appearance pretty well.

Medousa nodded in affirmation. 'Yes and before you say it you wouldn't be the first to think I look good for my age' she replied with a smile.

'Most venerable non-deity on the payroll' Willow noted. 'Anya here is less than half her age' she said introducing the other pagan who she thought they might like to talk to, many latter-day witches still looked to the old gods for inspiration and guidance and they would surely be fascinated to talk to those who came from a culture where worship of those gods was the norm rather than something widely regarded as for kooks. 'Don't get involved in any arguments about who's tougher, Odin or Zeus' she warned seriously.

Medousa nodded. 'Anya refuses to accept that the Olympians outclass the Æsir in every respect' she said.

'That's because it's bullshit' Anya responded flatly.

Lara the younger of the two witches in her late teens laughed. This all seemed like a great adventure to her and she was looking forward to learning some of the super-powerful magicks that everyone said Willow had mastered. 'I call upon the Goddess Diana mostly' she said. 'Grace prefers Demeter'

'Hecate is the one you want to keep in sweet with' someone else interrupted from the corridor. 'New witches?'

'Yes' Willow replied, 'Grace, Lara this is Amy' she said.

Lara offered her hand to shake as Amy entered the room but Amy didn't take it. 'Better not' Amy said. 'I might turn you to the dark side' she said with a smirk.

Grace frowned. 'So this is..' she began.

'Amy Madison, wicked witch of the Western United States' Amy interrupted. 'Otherwise known as the fucking draftee of this retarded pseudo-coven' she said. 'Don't be looking at me like that junior' she told Lara who was now glaring at her, 'the only magic user around here I _can't_ beat with one hand tied behind my back isn't you' she said dismissively.

'Play nice or we'll make you wear the orange jumpsuit again' Willow told Amy, only half in jest.

'My jailer and slave mistress speaks' Amy responded, 'and she's not even the _good_ kind of slave mistress despite liking girls, no kinky spanking for poor Amy' she declared. 'It's not my thing but it would break up the monotony' he said, 'they've got me enchanting bayonets all next week, I can't wait' she said sardonically.

'You know she's a lot better than she was when she first arrived' Willow told the newcomers, 'she's only in a bad mood now because she wasn't allowed to go to the New Years Eve Party' she said.

'I threw _one_ slayer out of a window telekinetically and everyone gets cranky about it' Amy moaned. '_She_ started the argument and threw a punch at _me_' the witch pointed out irately.

'We _know_ you didn't start it, that's why you only lost your party privileges instead of being sent to LA so Illyria could stuff you into solitary in Vahla ha'nesh again' Willow replied, 'you might want to mention the window was _closed_ and it was on the second floor for the sake of accuracy.'

'She was _fine_,' Amy retorted, 'you can bounce one of those freaks off walls all day and they spring back like Stretch Armstrong' she stated. 'And the cuts healed up okay too' she added.

'Our windows are bullet-proof safety glass Amy!' Willow said in exasperation. 'You might have broken her neck slamming her into it hard enough to drive her all the way through.'

'And she could have broken _mine_ if that punch connected' Amy replied. 'It's not like I flayed the bitch alive or anything' she pointed out. 'Oh yeah, _that_ would have only gotten me a smack on the wrist and an English vacation with these two and their friends' she said.

'And I think the reason we wanted some more nice, pleasant, _sane _witches on the payroll becomes clear' Anya told Grace after giving Willow a look that said it wasn't the time to escalate this. 'Talking of which I need you both to sign your employment contracts' she said changing the subject completely. 'I expect you to fill in timesheets every month and get all overtime authorised by either me or Buffy' she said. 'I don't know how they did things at that Coven you came from but in SlayerCorp we do things properly.'

Willow sighed. 'She wanted to put you on performance related pay' she told the new witches, 'so many bucks per spell cast.'

'It would have ensured high productivity' Anya maintained, 'Buffy said no, just like she vetoed my idea for performance targets for slayings' she said. 'Any girl that managed fifty percent more than the average number of vampire dustings per week would have received a bonus too' she continued, 'it would have been a great success, you need to find ways to motivate the workforce and don't give me that "sacred duty" stuff' she declared, 'cold hard cash makes the world go round' she stated with certainty.

Amy snorted. 'Why not just conscript them?'

'You're a unique case Amy' Willow replied.

'Unique? Yeah right' Amy retorted. 'Drusilla the seer vamp, Glory the Hellgod, that Limey slayer...'

'Genevieve' Anya told her.

'Yes her' Amy replied, 'you people think you've got the right to draft anyone you like' she declared.

'Only the ones who need to be kept on a short leash for either their protection or others' Willow replied.

'So I'm on a leash am I?' Amy asked. 'So I guess that makes me a bitch?'

'No, you being a bitch is unrelated to Willow's leash metaphor' Anya told her with little sign of malice in her voice, she merely meant it as a statement of fact.

'Aren't they all just the epitome of righteousness' Amy asked Grace rhetorically turning towards her, 'fluffy, sweet, goodness personified' she said, 'the witch that nearly ended the world and the former vengeance demon.'

'_Justice_ Demon to you' Anya responded curtly. 'All you need to do is get with the program a little bit more and we'll treat you no different that anyone else' she said. 'Glory gets unsupervised vacations, Illyria lets her go see her brother and gives her a clothes allowance, _you_ can have that kind of freedom too if you shape up' she promised.

'Hand on heart, hope to die?' Amy retorted, the sarcasm being completely lost on Anya who immediately did so causing the witch to roll her eyes towards the ceiling. 'I'm going to the sauna then seeing what's on the menu for dinner tonight' Amy said, turing on her heels and stomping away out of Willow's office. 'It had better be au gratin potatoes as the side' she said, disappearing down the corridor.

'Oh this place is a penal hellhole alright' Willow wryly remarked. 'So do you want to look around the place some more?' she asked in a more upbeat manner, 'we've got mystical scrolls from other worlds in the library, priceless magical artefacts in the museum and a better selection of coffee than Starbucks in the canteen' she said brightly.

* * *

_**Note from the author:**_

_This fanfic still runs on reviews, the update rate is a touch higher than normal because of the holiday season and the fact my muse has decided to go into overdrive, hope you're enjoying it _:-)

_I'm happy to announce that the first story in the series_ _**Compelled to Play Again** has won in its category (Best AtS/BtVS Fic) in the CoA Fanfic Awards over on **Twisting the Hellmouth**. I did the Pylean Dance of Joy of course :-p_


	21. Chapter 21

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****TWENTY****-ONE**

**Hyperion**** Hotel – Los Angeles – January 2005**

'You seem in an unusually good mood' Illyria told Glory, sitting down next to her in the otherwise deserted dining room where the latter deity was enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. Ben had liked the stuff and she suspected it had rubbed off when they were separated.

'I went to a club last night' Glory replied. 'Spent four hours at the bar with guys trying to pick me up' she said. 'Could have taken any man home I wanted, including the ones with girlfriends' she declared confidently.

'And did you?' Illyria asked.

'Don't be ridiculous' Glory replied. 'Humans are barely worthy to look at me, no touching allowed' she said.

'So you were there merely to confirm your narcissistic beliefs that you are exceptionally attractive?' Illyria queried. 'That does support the half-breed Harmony's contention that you are upset that the mercenary is her sexual partner not yours, and seek reassurance you have not "lost it".'

Glory growled slightly. 'If he thought he was going to get any from me sober he'd dump that stupid bitch in a second' she declared.

'I am glad you think so' Illyria replied. 'Your desire for worship, adoration and sycophantic devotion is far easier to stomach than the notion a fellow god is wallowing in self-pity' she said. 'As I have told you before, being whiny in front of the mortals is unbecoming.'

Glory took another sip of her hot chocolate. 'Where's Enyo?' she asked.

Illyria frowned. 'She is visiting her father at Wolfram Hart' she replied. 'I was not happy but did not refuse her permission to do so' the Old One told the Hellgod. 'Although sworn to my clan she is nonetheless tied to that of Berith also and her instincts are to retain as amiable a relationship with him as possible' she said. 'They are going to play tennis later, both ball and rackets as well as net have been specially enchanted for the purpose she told me.'

Glory raised her eyebrows. 'And Berith wants to see her?' she asked in surprise. 'Didn't she hold a scythe to his throat to keep him out of the way while you convinced Sebassis to end the Pylean War?'

'Both Enyo's aura and scent scream kinship at Berith as they do me' Illyria replied. 'I do not believe he has any other spawn and therefore would regard her as his heir despite her origins and allegiance' she said. 'Enyo told me that even with the scythe at his throat Berith was seemingly compelled to offer her sustenance and stroked her hair.'

'Yeah I've seen you do that to her too' Glory noted.

'Berith's clan and my own are very closely related, it is likely his groomed their young as mine did, it is hard to ignore genetically ingrained behaviour' Illyria said.

'So you don't think he'd hurt her?' Glory asked.

'Although my people would seek the overthrow of their progenitors, and to therefore place themselves in the position of head of the clan, this was only done in periods when the clan was not at war with another' Illyria answered. 'Jasmine's Crusade and the prospect of a Corporeal First Evil leads to another instinctual desire' she said, 'that to put aside petty internal family disputes and present a united front against those that are a threat to the entire bloodline not merely an individual.'

'Pack instinct' Glory observed. 'You're like wolves' she said, 'they compete for position, each hoping to be the alpha but they'll always unite against an external threat.'

Illyria nodded. 'If you had faced such an external threat at the time of your overthrow do you not think the other two members of your triumvirate would have united under your leadership to fight against it, instead of ousting you?' she asked.

Glory shrugged. 'You could be right' she admitted, 'too successful in wiping out my enemies I guess.'

'Unity within stems from a threat from without' Illyria replied, 'if unity is required and one does not exist it needs to be manufactured' she said.

'I'll keep that in mind when I get my dimension back' Glory told her. Illyria herself would fit the description of external threat very nicely she decided, get the plebs all worked up preparing ready to fight a possible invasion by the blue-haired megalomaniac and then sit back and relax whilst anyone that criticised her gets accused of being unpatriotic.

The God-King was pleased that Glory was accepting her sage advice. Once all other foes were vanquished she would portray the Hellgod and her restored realm as a threat and use it to keep the mob in line, anybody that complained about Illyria's rule would be denounced as a traitor or a fool. 'You are not interested in accompanying the slayer forces to Jasmine's former world?' she asked. 'It is doubtful the atmosphere would harm you.'

'It's not my lungs I'm worried about it's my hair' Glory replied. 'Did you see what it did to those vampires?' she asked rhetorically. 'Drusilla went frizzy, totally ruined her look.'

Illyria blinked. 'Your priorities are so misplaced I am amazed you ever became the most powerful being in your world' she stated.

'If I had hair as lifeless as yours I wouldn't give a crap about it either' Glory replied. 'Maybe that's the reason your boy-toy decided to run his fingers through another girls locks' she suggested sweetly.

Illyria narrowed her eyes and stood up. 'Training room, now!' she ordered

'Sometimes it's worth the beating' Glory replied, finishing her hot-chocolate.

**Shadow Valley – California – ****January 2005**

'Force it, you tea-drinking Limey wimp' Kennedy snarled. 'If you don't finish that set I'll tell Giles I want to keep Andrew as my watcher' she vowed as Stephen gritted his teeth and forced himself to pump out the last lift in a punishing routine with free weights. No pain no gain he thought.

'Sonofabitch' Stephen gasped as he lowered the bar again, Kennedy taking it from him barely registering the amount of weight on it. He was in pretty good shape but she was a slayer and could have lifted both him and the barbell he was pressing one-handed without too much effort.

'Do you have to talk to my boyfriend like that?' Emily asked. She was spending every moment she could in his company, he was leaving for Cleveland again tomorrow and she hated it. Having him here for a couple of weeks had been wonderful.

'The stronger and fitter he is the more likely it is he'll live' Kennedy replied, putting down the barbell. 'You should hear what he says to me and the girls when we slack off in training' she added.

Still breathing heavily Stephen picked up a towel and wiped the sweat from his face. 'I'm more creative in my calculated insults' he declared, 'and Andrew as your watcher? I'd have never bought that' he said, 'threats need to be plausible to be worthwhile' he advised. 'I'm going to the pool' he announced.

'I'm going to do five miles on the treadmill then see Willow for lunch' Kennedy told him.

'I'll get my bathing costume and join you' Emily told him.

'Wear a skimpy one' Kennedy advised, 'he'll do another ten lengths of the pool if he has to burn off all that extra energy' she joked.

Emily blushed then smiled. 'I'm expecting twelve at least' she said. 'See you at the pool Stephen' she said, 'I'd kiss you but you're sweaty' she added.

The watcher watched her disappear with a smile plastered across his face. 'Cradle-snatcher' Kennedy told him with a grin.

'Dyke' Stephen retorted before grinning himself. 'I told Giles I'd teach another advanced sword-play class this afternoon, want to be my assistant?' he asked.

'And get poked by bamboo sticks for two hours, no thanks' Kennedy replied. 'You just want to show off in front of the new girls who've never seen the legendary D'Artagnan in action anyway' she said.

Stephen grinned. 'Legendary?' he asked.

'Thinking about it, mildly well known and occasionally mentioned in passing would be closer to the truth' Kennedy replied. 'Hey you're getting looked at anyhow' she whispered. 'Of course you're the only guy in here and you're not _completely_ ugly, so I guess that's understandable' she said, looking around. It was a large gym and quite a few of the girls had been checking him out.

'Ugly?' Stephen asked. 'If you weren't into girls you'd be looking too' he said confidently.

'You're not Brad Pitt sword-boy' Kennedy retorted, 'face it, you're not even Xander' she continued in amusement.

'I make up for it with devastating charm' Stephen replied deadpan. 'And I'm at _least_ Xander' he protested.

'Nah' Kennedy told him honestly shaking her head with a smirk.

Stephen sighed. 'I'd retort in kind but I'm a gentleman' he said.

'And besides which I'm a total babe' Kennedy added.

'You're not Kate Beckinsale scythe-girl, Stephen replied, 'face it you're not even Willow' he told her.

'Some gentleman' Kennedy responded.

'Momentary slip' Stephen told her.

Kennedy crossed her arms and turned to the other girls in the gym. 'Watcher going cheap' she announced, 'low mileage, one careful owner' she continued. 'Make me an offer.'

'Is he house broken?' one of the girls called back, playing along.

'Yeah but he still leaves the toilet seat up sometimes' Kennedy replied.

'Let me know who makes the highest bid' Stephen announced, 'I'll be in the pool if my new slayer wants to collect me' he said.

'Comes with his own longsword and a sports car' Kennedy advertised. 'Good accent for taking phone messages from your parents and you'll never need to polish your own sword again.'

'Oh I wish I lived in the old days when watchers used to beat their slayers and potentials with sticks for disobedience and back-chat, not just during fencing practice' Stephen complained tongue-in-cheek as he walked away.

Kennedy frowned. 'He's not _completely_ broken in' she admitted, 'I'll knock a few bucks off for that' she said. 'Oh yeah and Watcherette has first claim to him during vacation time' she noted, 'and you'd better not mind him talking sappy to her on the phone all the time' she added.

Idly wondering what the going rate for a watcher was in the current market Stephen left the gym and was almost knocked flying by a girl hurrying across his path, face down reading the top sheet of a pile of papers. 'Careful there Caroline' he told her, the slayer stopping and looking up.

'Oh sorry Stephen' she said. 'First meeting of the Advisory Council starts in ten minutes and I was trying to make sure I was up to date with field reports before I got there' she said.

'Congratulations on getting elected' Stephen told her. 'I'd shake your hand but I was just working out' he said. 'Second highest number of votes I hear' he added.

'Distant second' Caroline admitted, 'Rebecca put more time into campaigning than I did and she talks better in public' the slayer freely admitted.

Stephen smiled, he felt some affinity for the girls he had first met when they were only potentials and a post-activation Caroline had nearly died fighting the Turok'Han on the same night Glory had reappeared and almost killed Buffy. Ending up on a life-support machine her slayer-healing ensured a full recovery though and she was back in time to help close the hellmouth not long after. 'You raked in more votes than anyone without divine intervention on their side' Stephen told her with a wink. Almost dying for the cause gave you major kudos in slayer circles, as did being one of Buffy's Sunnydale veterans, so Caroline did have a couple of advantages others who had run for the Advisory Council might think were slightly unfair, but she wasn't part god at least.

Smiling back Caroline checked her watch. 'Got to go, can't be late to the first meeting' she said hurrying off.

'Good luck and congratulations again' Stephen called after her, resuming his own course towards the pool.

'Thanks D'Artagnan' she called back.

Stephen grinned, it was surprising how much an initially despised nickname could grow on you and it was almost universal now, it was meant affectionately and he liked being part of a greater whole. He could have done well without being called an honorary girl quite as often though he thought, grin replaced with a dejected frown, the now widespread knowledge that like Robin Wood and Wesley Wyndham-Pryce he was a carrier of the slayer gene had not helped there he decided.

Getting ordered out of the pool later by Rona for blatantly and incessantly making out with Emily in there while the slayer was trying to teach a class for those girls who couldn't swim was far more embarrassing than any nickname.

**Wolfram and Hart Fitness Centre**** – Los Angeles – January 2005**

An audience had rapidly built up as soon as word got around, and the two rows of seats that surrounded the indoor tennis court were full of Wolfram and Hart employees.

Berith loosened his grip on his racket and rolled his wrist, he couldn't afford the embarrassment of not returning this, although losing overall Enyo had aced two serves in the last game.

At the other end of the court the God-Princess of the Holocene bounced the ball on her racket twice then smiled, anyone that knew her mother Illyria would have recognised the expression as she gently threw the ball into the air and jumping up a fraction of the height she could delivered a barely subsonic serve which slashed through the air.

By mutual agreement they weren't manipulating time which meant that only his normal speed and reflexes were available to the Lord of the Covenant as Berith moved to return the serve which this time he did with gusto beginning a long rally game with both of them demonstrating just how quick they really were, and in Enyo's case both how flexible she was and that the patch of light blue skin on her thighs went all the up as she darted around the court in a short pleated tennis skirt.

Berith eventually won the point with a backhand smash which would have potentially blown a hole in a wall, or one of the spectators, if not for a "thicken" spell cast around the court by one of the company's junior warlocks he had drafted in as a line judge.

'I make that game and set' Berith announced happily as the people gathered around applauded, some because it genuinely had been an impressive and many because he was the boss and they were kissing up. The shell had been a keen tennis player but the lack of anyone to play with that could possibly be a test of his abilities had meant he hadn't been able to find out if the game was as much fun as the sparks of memories indicated.

Enyo nodded her head. 'Well done, father' she responded. 'I will concede at this point if you wish' she offered. 'You are a far superior player' she noted. 'Though I would like to see you do a gymnastic display' she added with a smile. 'I need to teleport to Shadow Valley soon in any case' she said.

'Timne for one more game?' Berith asked, then wandered over to the spectators, eyes fixed on a lawyer from the entertainment division in an expensive flashy suit. 'If she does and you can't watch the game instead of looking up the girls' skirt at every opportunity' he told the man, 'leave because if I see you do it again I'm going to stick the wide end of this racket up your ass' he said seriously.

'I've got a meeting' the lawyer said quickly, checking his watch before tearing away.

'That goes for the rest of you who were being less blatant about it too' Berith added.

Before the next game could start some commotion outside the double doors that led to the court was explained by them being slammed open and a struggling security guard came in being held in an arm-lock behind his back by a furious looking vampire slayer.

Another guard already in the hall reached for the handgun holstered at his hip but before it cleared the holster another gun was aimed right between his eyes as the unshaven man in the brown leather jacket who had been following the slayer effortlessly outdrew him from a shoulder holster. 'Don't' Wesley warned, 'I mean it' he added seriously, pulling back the hammer with his thumb.

Faith pushed the guard away she had been holding and directed at angry glare and an accusing finger at Enyo. 'What the hell do you mean coming here?' she asked.

'Mom!' Enyo exclaimed, looking around at everyone. 'You're embarrassing me' she said.

'Embarrassing you?!' Faith retorted. 'Do you know how humiliating it was being told by Glory, I mean fucking _Glory_, where you were?' she asked angrily. 'You said you were going to the mall today.'

'I did go to the mall' Enyo replied. 'I needed the tennis outfit' she said, indicating her clothes.

'Don't talk back to me like that Missy' Faith replied.

'Hey who the hell are you to barge in here and start ordering my hellspawn around' Berith asked, dropping his racket and walking towards Faith. 'And you can stop pointing that gun at one of my employees too' he told Wesley.

'Aw crap' Enyo moaned as things escalated. 'Look I'm a grown-up and I don't need to tell you what I'm doing like a child' she told Faith.

'You told _Illyria_ where you were going' Faith responded indignantly.

'I had to she would have sensed Father's aura on me afterwards and she's the head of my clan so I _had_ to ask her permission before meeting the head of another' Enyo replied. 'there are proper codes of conduct for my people' she explained.

'Take your hand off the gun and I'll holster mine' Wesley told the security guard who complied. 'You can't go to a Wolfram and Hart facility alone, it's dangerous' Wesley told Enyo as he put away his automatic.

'For pities sake Dad I'm a fucking _goddess_' Enyo responded, rolling her eyes. 'You and Mom are in more danger being here together than I was on my own' she said.

'Watch your language' Faith told her hypocritically.

'Perhaps we need to establish visitation rights?' a familiar and sweetly sarcastic voice suggested from behind Wesley.

'Lilah' Wesley responded, turning towards her.

'Quite the soap opera we have going here' Lilah observed, walking into the hall gaining a nod of acknowledgement from Berith who considered her his most valued member of staff by far. 'Two deities involved' she said, 'no three including Illyria' she noted, 'I guess you could call it "Eons of our Lives".'

Faith redirected her glare towards the newcomer. 'Family business, not your concern' she said coldly.

'Ah but I _am_ a character in this little drama' Lilah responded, 'the spurned former lover' she pointed out, reaching out to gently touch Wesley's shoulder. 'Though since he seems to have given up any pretence of monogamy maybe I could become part of his harem again?' she continued. 'No wait, I've got too much dignity to share his bed' she continued, if not necessarily his thoughts she added sadly to herself.

'This is so embarrassing' Enyo moaned, not being able to teleport very well was as nothing compared to this kind of indignity.

'Get off my property' Berith thundered territorially at Wesley and Faith.

'This is _company_ property not your personal fiefdom' yet another voice interjected.

'Oh yeah, that's what I needed' Berith said shaking his head, 'you can take a hike Hamilton' he told the representative to the Senior Partners.

'A slayer, a watcher and a deity allied to a force hostile to this organisation being on _our_ property _is_ my business' Hamilton responded striding past Lilah knocking her shoulder slightly as he did so. Lilah was about to give him a mouth of invective when to her surprise Wesley rounded on him.

'I know you're strong but unless you're bullet-proof you'll apologise to the lady immediately' Wesley told Hamilton sternly.

'You're very protective of your cast-offs aren't you' the taller, more muscular and inordinately stronger Hamilton told the scruffy watcher. 'First you save her from those Ninja's and now you're ready to commit suicide for her' he said with a smirk.

Faith slowly turned around. 'Back off, Frankenstein' she told Hamilton menacingly.

'This is much better than watching the tennis, anyone got any popcorn?' one of the many employees still sitting in the stands said too loudly for his own good. 'Oh balls' he added nervously as two demon gods, a slayer with a criminal conviction for murder, a watcher of known psychopathic tendencies, a reanimated dead lawyer of legendary ruthlessness and a Child of the Senior Partners all simultaneously turned and delivered looks of varying hostility at him.

Apparently his last company annual evaluation report was right, he thought, he really didn't have much of a future at wolfram Hart and it looked likely he'd just burned his bridges with the main competitor too... maybe Twilight was hiring he hoped.

**Shadow Valley – California – January 2005**

Giles sat up in his chair and raised his eyebrows. 'I must confess' he said. 'I had thought you'd welcome a return to retirement' he told the older watcher sat across the desk from him.

Stirling sighed. 'Frankly I hated it with a passion before I returned to duty' he said, 'and now after getting back into the game the idea of spending my remaining days on a bowling green or a golf course makes my blood run cold' he told Giles. 'For one thing my handicap can only go up from here' he joked. 'I realise I'm too damn old to be a field man' he admitted, some days on Pylea he hadn't wanted to get out of bed, 'but I can still teach the girls things they're going to need to know' he said.

Giles nodded. 'Well I must admit you have several decades more experience than I do and I'm usually cast in the role of the patriarch around here' he said.

'You're welcome to the role' Stirling told him, 'I never got involved in the theory side of things anyway, I was just shown a picture of something nasty and sent out with my boys to ventilate its brains' he said. 'I'm glad you and Miss Summers decided to resurrect the Council's Special Operations Team' he said. 'Having seen him in action Corporal Ashton will do the job very well' he opined, 'just the right mix of lunacy and testicular fortitude.'

Giles chuckled. 'Is that how you would have described yourself during your own lengthy stint running the team?' he asked.

'Nothing wrong with a touch of insanity backed up by plenty of balls young Rupert' Stirling told him. 'I'm too old to be running around fighting vampires and demons but for a while there in Pylea it was like the glory days of the fifties and sixties before the Council started to gradually retire the generation that fought in the war from active service' he said. 'After facing down the Waffen SS demons didn't seem quite as scary, they might have teeth and claws but for sheer ferocity, and inventive murderous intent, nothing beats our species' he declared. 'You should have seen the girls in action' he said, 'I never thought I'd see the day when demons would break and run like scared rabbits but by the end of the Pylean campaign they were doing it merely because of Vi's hellions sheer reputation.'

'Slayers have always been the thing the darkness has nightmares about' Giles replied. 'Vampires often fled rather than fight Buffy.'

'It's not the same' Stirling told him. 'In any case, as I said I'm offering my continued services to the cause, teaching in a classroom or on a parade ground isn't quite as invigorating as getting ones own hands dirty, but it beats mouldering away in a retirement home or the like' he said with distaste 'those places are closer to my idea of hell than anything Wolfram Hart can envision.'

'For my part as Head of the Council I'm more than happy to retain you on the active list as long as you feel you wish to be but as for a teaching position Robin Wood is the Headmaster, or should I say Principal, of this Academy so you'll need to talk to him too' Giles advised.

'Of course' Stirling concurred 'if we go around violating the proper chain of command willy-nilly we're on the road to anarchy' he said. 'I'll talk to the boy later today' he told Giles, 'oh there was another thing' he continued, 'I've been giving the tale we learned via Jasmine's Priest chappie some thought and I think I've found an parallel that matches up nicely' he said. 'How much do you know about Muhammad Ahmad?' he asked. 'You might know him better as the Mahdi' he added.

'Not much I'm afraid' Giles admitted.

'Ah well I'm sure imperial history was more prevalent in the curriculum during my school days than yours' Stirling responded reasonably. 'Back in the Sudan in the 1880's Muhammad Ahmad was a religious leader and mystic who managed to unite the tribes in a Holy War against the foreign powers controlling the Sudan, specifically the Ottoman-Egyptians who had some ties with Britain' he said. 'He declared himself the prophesied "Mahdi" or saviour and said he was sent to prepare the land for the Second Coming of the Prophet Isa.'

'Jesus' Giles noted. The Muslims didn't believe Jesus was actually the son of God but they did believe he was a prophet sent by him and that he would return to Earth one day to defeat the false messiah, or the Antichrist as Christians called him. The bug Prophet was preparing the way for Jasmine's return too, which made Illyria's notion that she was being cast in the role of the Anti-Jasmine resonate even more.

Stirling nodded. 'The Mahdi was very successful and the fanaticism of his forces made them greatly feared' he said. 'Even after his death in 1885 the religious state he began continued and they invaded several of their neighbours' he said, 'they weren't finally crushed until 1898 when a British Army under Kitchener demonstrated that fervent faith backed by swords, spears and a few old rifles wasn't a match for a modern professional army carrying repeating rifles and backed by cannon and machineguns' he said.

'Kitchener in the Sudan!' Giles exclaimed. 'The Fuzzy Wuzzies' he said.

'Somehow I guessed you'd make that association' Stirling remarked. 'They don't like the cold steel' he said expecting a response.

'They don't like it up 'em' Giles responded breaking out into laughter. 'So as the oldest of us does that make you Lance Corporal Jones? He asked.

'I was in the real arm during the war as you now, though my father was in the Home Guard as it happens, so to me Dad's Army was a very appropriate name for the series' Stirling replied. 'He was an officer of course, though not like Captain Mainwearing I would hope.'

Giles chuckled. 'So do you think we should popularise the use of "Mahdi" as the unofficial name for this supposed demon prophet?' he asked.

The old watcher smiled. 'Perhaps we could collectively call them the Buggy-Wuggies too' he suggested. 'Vi would appreciate the reference at least' he said, 'I got her a book of the collected poems of Rudyard Kipling for Christmas, they were highly quotable in Pylea, good verse for a soldier.'

'Sorry I'm afraid I only have passing familiarity with Kipling' Giles admitted.

Stirling closed his eyes and began to recite part of a poem,

'_So '__ere's__ to you, Fuzzy-__Wuzzy__, at __your '__ome__ in the __Soudan_

_You're a pore benighted '__eathen__ but a first-class __fightin__' man;_

_An' '__ere's__ to you, Fuzzy-__Wuzzy__, with __your '__ayrick__ '__ead__ of 'air—_

_You big black __boundin__' beggar—for you broke a British square!_'

'Broke a British square?' Giles queried.

'Battles of Tamai and Abu Klea during the first British expedition to the Sudan in 1884-85 to try and relieve Gordon at Khartoum' Stirling replied, 'the Sudanese tribesmen managed to break formed up squares of British Infantry, almost completely unheard of, even against other well-equipped European Armies' he explained. 'They were willing to die for the cause in such numbers they overwhelmed massed ranks of riflemen, that's why Kitchener's second expedition over a decade later bought Maxim Guns and Field Artillery along.'

Giles frowned. 'One hopes we're taking the lesson there to heart' he said.

'If its mortars versus martyrs bet on the mortars, but bring along plenty of ammunition because you _definitely_ don't want to run out of bombs before they run out of guts or belief' Stirling noted.

An increasingly loud noise outside started to penetrate the building and Giles turned to look out of his office window. 'I think the new helicopter is arriving' he said.

Stirling watched as the aircraft flew in low over the sounding vineyard and smoothly landed on the concrete helicopter pad which Xander had prepared for it. 'Did Miss Summers approve that paint job?' he asked as the jet turbine that drove the rotor-blades was shut down.

'The matt black and the SlayerCorp Logo on the side yes but I think the crossed scythes on the nose were someone else's idea' Giles responded.

A couple of offices further along the corridor Vi waited until the helicopter engines had completely shut down before picking up the telephone on her desk and hitting number 4 on the speed-dial. 'Hi is that Emil?' she asked, 'Its Vi, the Huey has arrived can you order those rocket pods Wesley talked to you about before?' she asked, 'and the miniguns' she added. 'Thanks a lot, glad you liked the Christmas card' she added before hanging up.

Vi looked out of the window a gleeful expression on her face. 'First of the Ninth, Portal Cav' she said. 'Dimension mobile.'

Buffy's suspicions as to who asked for the crossed scythes on the nose of the helicopter were confirmed in her mind by the large number of gunslayers going around humming Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries for the next week or so.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_This fanfic runs on reviews._


	22. Chapter 22

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****TWENTY****-****TWO**

**Shadow Valley – California – January 2005**

Sitting in the back row of the lecture theatre Willow leaned over to Buffy, they were sitting in on one of Giles classes but so far all he had done was show slides of demons and it was getting pretty dull. 'So Enyo is running so late because of all the arguing she has to teleport straight here still wearing her tennis gear' Willow whispered, 'nearly lands on top of Caridad outside, and still had to warp time not to be the last one to arrive at the first meeting of the Advisory Council' she told Buffy with a grin, 'Fred filled me in on the details from the LA side' she explained.

'And Enyo isn't talking to Faith or Wesley?' Buffy whispered back.

'Not according to Fred she isn't' Willow replied, 'if she has to tell them anything she does it through Rebecca, which is funny in itself because they're kinda the same person anyway' she noted.

'And if you're quite finished with the increasingly loud gossiping at the back I'll move on' Giles announced with more than a touch of annoyance evident in his voice. 'Honestly you'd expect better of the Senior Staff, you really would' he told the other girls attending the lecture, many of whom laughed.

Willow blushed and Buffy shuffled awkwardly in her seat as Giles directed a look at her she remembered all too well, only _he_ could look that annoyed at her, even during his brief spell as a Fyarl that was something that had remained constant. 'Sorry' Buffy apologised sheepishly.

'And I would hope so too' Giles replied before returning to his notes. 'As you are aware most corporeal demonic entities can be killed by conventional means, blunt force trauma, edged weapons, firearms and the like' he said, 'but there are a number of species that, although they can often still be physically wounded by these means, cannot be killed by them' he announced, pressing a button to project the next slide onto the wall.

Buffy groaned, of all the pictures he could have chosen it had to be Spike in his vamp face she thought.

'The classic vampire' Giles began. 'ugly customer, often with badly dated taste in hairstyle' he continued, trying to keep a straight face. 'These undead creatures can be shot, stabbed, poisoned, garrotted and beaten to a pulp but they will _still_ stubbornly refuse to die unless you stab them in the heart with a wooden stake, decapitate them, practically _dissolve_ them in Holy Water, incinerate the blighters or arrange a nasty case of sunburn' he said, smiling at the last one. 'This resilience, accompanied by extremely rapid healing of major trauma, makes the vampire hardier than the majority of demon species, even notably stronger ones, but is hardly unique' he said, triggering the next slide.

Giles pushed his glasses back up his nose, they had slid down slightly as he moved and he was concerned they were going to fall off. The problem was that the number of times he took them off every day to polish them meant they were always slightly loose. 'Pargo Demon' he said. 'Not as strong as a vampire but the only reliable way to kill one is by drowning' he said. 'Hacking pieces off will not work unless you resort to extreme measures that will leave it looking like you fed it into a blender' he told them, 'you cannot even readily dispose of it by cutting off its air supply in a different way, such as simply throttling the creature, because it has an armoured trachea of all things and it's teeth are such that putting your hand over its mouth is _deeply_ inadvisable.'

'So if we don't have any water what do we do?' a girl asked.

Giles smiled. 'A slayer is stronger than a Pargo Demon' he said. 'You could always overpower and bind it, then go looking for a bucket of water' he suggested. 'Or carry it to the nearest stream perhaps.'

'It's not as convenient as a stake in your pocket' the girl remarked. 'I like vamps' she said 'No muss, no fuss, just dust.'

'You may find the next demon more to your liking as you already have the means of disposal in your hands' Giles announced, 'though I'm sure Willow is not a fan' he added, changing slides again.

'Eep!' Willow responded involuntarily as she saw the next picture.

'Gnarl Demon' Giles said. 'Surprising amount of resistance to magics, paralysing venom from its talons, very strong, fairly intelligent and only has one weakness' he said. 'You need to destroy its eyes' he said, looking up to the back row. 'Buffy would you care to explain how you disposed of the one that you encountered?' he asked.

'I gouged its eyes out with my thumbs' Buffy replied unemotionally.

'Oh yuck' one of the girls responded with a grimace. 'I don't know if I could do that' she said.

'I wouldn't have known if I could either' Buffy responded, 'but it was trying to kill me at the time, and before that it had been eating strips of Willow's skin after paralysing her' she added. 'You get less squeamish at moments like that' she told the class. 'You're just happy it's dying, not queasy about the gloop on your hands.'

Willow shuddered with the memory of being sliced, the mystical venom had stopped her moving but did nothing to stop her pain receptors working. Buffy had arrived just in the nick of time but a few minutes earlier would have been nice.

'Another well known example of creatures which can only be killed by a single means is the werewolf' Giles announced, putting up another slide.

'Hey isn't that a picture we took of Oz when he was wolfed out?' Buffy whispered to Willow.

'Yes' Willow replied, was Giles trying to tell them something?

'Only silver will kill a werewolf, a bullet is the simplest means but a silver bladed weapon will suffice also' Giles said. 'On death a werewolf will revert to human form which can be awkward if you are caught by the Constabulary immediately after having slain one.'

'By "Constabulary" he means the cops' Buffy decided to point out.

'Remember that we do _not_ automatically slay werewolves as a matter of course' Giles noted, 'if you encounter one you should try to tranquillise it in case the human does not yet realise they are a werewolf' he said. 'More socially responsible werewolves secure themselves on nights of the full moon so they do not harm other people, if they _refuse_ to do this _then_ we deal with them appropriately' he told the class. 'We may be judge, jury and executioner on occasion but we should endeavour to be fair and just' he declared, 'we do not slay creatures for what they_ are_ only for what they _do_' he said. 'If werewolves are willing to physically restrain themselves when dangerous, if vampires will give up human blood, or demons are not hostile to humans then we leave them be.'

'They're still a potential threat' a girl pointed out.

'The military considers _slayers_ a potential threat, would that make it right to attack us?' Giles asked rhetorically. 'If we want to retain the moral high-ground we must endeavour to not act on an arbitrary basis' he said. 'We are very clear-cut in our mission statement, if you try to harm people we will harm you' he said. 'Leave the humans alone and you get to live' he continued. 'Most demons are starting to get the message and we're thinning the ranks of those that don't every day' he noted. 'The next example of a type of demon which cannot be killed by normal means is the vengeance demon' he said, pressing the projector remote again.

'Have we done something to offend him?' Willow whispered to Buffy as a picture of Anyanka appeared.

Buffy frowned. 'I don't think that he liked it when we reminded him his fiftieth birthday was coming up and he should get a new girlfriend while he could still tell them he was in his forties' she whispered back.

'_You_ said that not me' Willow protested.

'I think all scoobies got tarred with the same brush' Buffy replied.

'So much for not being arbitrary' Willow remarked.

Buffy nodded, it was probably best not to mention that she had left Giles with the distinct impression it was a joint opinion.

**Warehouse District –Cleveland – January 2005**

'I don't think Andrew is going to be talking to you for a while' Kennedy told Stephen, opening the fridge and starting to search through the contents. 'Who filled this thing up with Root Beer?' she asked in annoyance.

'Wasn't me I can't stand it' Shannon responded. 'She's right, he looked pissed' she said to the watcher.

'Oh come on, it's not like I'd ever met her before' Stephen defended himself. 'I opened the door to the apartment, and this vampire loomed up at me, it's not like I staked her or anything' he pointed out.

Kennedy finally found a soda she didn't mind drinking and closed the fridge. 'You pulled a crucifix on Andrew's girlfriend and pressed it against her forehead' she said. 'Not the best first impression ever' she opined, 'I mean other than the impression you left in her skin because you pressed it so hard.'

'I didn't do it _that_ hard' Stephen replied, 'it didn't leave a bruise' he noted. 'I was only surprised it didn't burn at the time' he said. 'It's funny when you think about it' he continued, 'isn't it?' he asked plaintively after a short pause.

'Andrew didn't think so' Shannon responded.

Stephen sighed. 'I'll apologise again' he conceded.

'I'm only glad you were the first through the door and I had a bag in each hand because I might have punched her out' Kennedy admitted.

'You thought she was a vampire too?' Stephen asked.

'No, I think anyone that dresses that way deserves to be physically assaulted' Kennedy deadpanned back.

Stephen laughed. 'I thought the look was okay once I established she wasn't going to gnaw on my neck' he said.

'Goth meets lolita slut?' Kennedy queried, 'I can see how the lolita part would work for you but...'

'Enough with the cracks about Emily's age' Stephen interrupted in annoyance. 'She's sixteen this year' he pointed out.

Shannon giggled. 'If you didn't bite every time she wouldn't do it' she advised. 'So Cleveland's still here and it's yours again' she told Kennedy. 'The field reports are filed and there's a summary I hope you _will_ read sitting on the desk in your bedroom' she said. 'Andrew wrote it up so it's kinda...'

'Florid, verbose and overly-dramatic in tone?' Stephen suggested.

Shannon nodded. 'And he actually spells it "vampyre" with a y as well as says it that way' she agreed. 'Oh and he started saying and writing "daemon" with an extra a instead of demon.'

'Strangely he's probably more accurate that way' Stephen responded. 'It's the Latin spelling and in the classical world they recognised that demons could be good or evil, the idea that they were _all_ inherently bad came later with Christianity' he said. 'Originally it was "Daimon" in Ancient Greek though' he added, spelling it out for them.

'So why don't _you_ say "Daemon or "Daimon" if it's more accurate?' Kennedy asked.

'The same reason I say vampire instead of vampyre or the earliest form of the word which was likely closer to _Upir_" he said trying to put on a Slavic accent, 'because it would make me sound like a twat' he stated. 'Pedants might be accurate but that doesn't make pedantry an attractive character trait' he opined. 'At least Andrew's flirtation with tweed was mercifully short-lived.'

'It_ is_ less embarrassing to go somewhere with him now that it was when he arrived' Shannon opined. 'He has flashes of _cool_ now' she continued. 'Not many' she admitted, 'but he does, and he gives off this impression of... competence.'

'Damn' Stephen responded ruefully, you realise I hope that means they'll send_ all_ the trainee watchers here for a couple of months so we can sharpen them up' he declared.

'They already cycle slayers through here for the same reason so it makes sense' Kennedy replied. 'Are they getting new trainee watchers?' she asked.

'Bound to eventually' Stephen replied. 'For one thing children of watcher families who were too young to be at the Academy when it was wiped up are growing up, most of them will have lost family and friends and I bet they'll want in' he said.

'Looking for revenge?' Shannon asked.

'That's what I was after' Stephen replied, 'it's a great motivator' he said. 'This will lead to the odd situation where the watchers may be typically younger than the slayers for a while' he said, thinking about it.

'You're younger than me' Kennedy pointed out.

'True but I'm older than the overwhelming majority of the girls' Stephen replied. 'Only Buffy, Faith and Dana have several years on me and Dana is hardly mature mentally' he said. 'That's likely why she was activated by Willow and the Scythe while thousands of _other_ older potentials weren't' he said. 'That was the theory in Enyo's time anyhow, you need to be past puberty but still not completely adult in your brain structure to be called' he said. 'That's age 21 or so for most people.'

'Why would that matter?' Shannon asked.

'They reckoned that the brain still needs to be able to adjust itself properly to the speeded up reaction times or else you end up with a slayer that's not at the top of her game' Stephen replied. 'Dana's not exactly wired upstairs like the rest of us.'

'No argument there' Kennedy agreed wholeheartedly, you didn't know whether to run away from her or give her a hug. 'So I guess Emily will be the next one to come here?'

'One can but hope' Stephen replied happily.

'Even if you know she's going to be your boss one day?' Kennedy asked in amusement.

Stephen frowned. 'That isn't necessarily going to be the case' he said, 'this is a very different timeline' he noted.

Shannon looked confused. 'I'm missing something' she said.

Kennedy grinned. 'We were talking to Enyo and she told us that the Head of the Watchers Council was going to be another Travers after Giles retired' she said. 'Stephen looked smug as hell until she added it was _Emily_ Travers' she said starting to laugh. 'The expression on his face' she continued, 'it was priceless.'

'You get married?' Shannon asked with a smile.

'_That_ revelation I would have been happy enough with' Stephen responded with a sigh.

'Does Watcherette know?' Shannon queried.

'I told her this morning when we were getting ready to go to the airport' Kennedy replied, her grin widening.

'And everyone else' Stephen noted. 'Why does _everybody_ think it's their God-Given right to wind me up?' Stephen asked sadly. 'The twins were merciless.'

Kennedy pursed her lips thoughtfully. 'It just seems the right thing to do' she said eventually. 'You're like the brother some of us never had.'

'And like I said earlier you _do_ bite every time so it's funny' Shannon added. 'Maybe that's the problem, we fight vampires all the time too so attacking biters is instinctual?'

Stephen narrowed his eyes. 'As far as I'm concerned you can _all_ bite me' he declared.

'Looks like someone already did' Shannon remarked, 'nice hickey' she told him, pointing at his neck.

'What?!' Stephen exclaimed in horror.

'I noticed it earlier, let him walk around with it all day' Kennedy responded gleefully as Stephen dashed for a mirror mounted on a wall. 'I guess Emily was marking her property.'

'Buggeration' Stephen commented checking his reflection. 'Do you think Andrew would lend me that scarf he wore when he first arrived?' he asked. 'The one he thought made him look like Tom Baker in Dr Who.'

'Doesn't seem likely' Shannon told him. 'Maybe if it wasn't for the crucifix incident' she reasoned.

**Shadow Valley – California – January 2005**

'That can't be as much fun as it looks' Rona shouted to Amanda, fingers over her ears as the helicopter hovered overhead dropping ropes.

'_Nothing_ can be as much fun as that looks' Amanda replied as Vi leading girls started to abseil down at high speed, wearing their full combat gear. As soon as they hit the ground they immediately deployed into a circle, rifles up and ready and once the ninth and last girl landed and cleared out of the way the helicopter dropped the ropes and accelerated off.

'Too slow' a man bellowed over the sound of the diminishing engine noise. 'We're going to do that again and again until you do it right' Ashton said jogging towards Vi. 'You can get down the ropes faster than that' he insisted, 'shit_ I_ can get down a rope faster than that and I break a fuck-load easier than you do' he declared.

'You've done this more than we have' one of the other girls protested. He had only arrived from LA two days ago and he was already being a pain in the ass.

'I'm only human, you can all be better than me at _everything_ if you put some effort in' the mercenary replied. 'You're all faster, stronger, shit most of you are probably _smarter_ than me too' he admitted. 'If I can do it better the only reason is that you aren't fucking _trying_ and I ain't accepting that shit' he declared. 'Alright call Garfield around to pick you up again and do it faster next time' he said. 'Your lives could depend on it' he said.

Rona turned and started to wander back towards the gym, Amanda following. 'Silent Bob is teaching an abseiling class tomorrow, anyone invited' she said. 'They're going to be using one of the accommodation blocks, ten story run down the side.'

'Nice, I guess the windows can take it' Amanda replied. 'I'll give it a go.'

'What about the parachuting next week?' Rona asked.

'Maybe' Amanda told her. 'I'm taking a team to the Mid-West next week but not sure what day I'm leaving, if I'm still here I'll probably try it.'

'I'm not sure I want to' Rona admitted. 'Jumping out of a plane not something I can see myself enjoying' she said. 'If I want adrenaline I'll roust a few vamps.'

The helicopter got louder again as after doing a wide circle it headed back to land and pick up the girls again. 'Have you talked to the guy that flies that thing yet?' Amanda asked.

'Only to say hello' Rona replied. 'He seemed okay.'

'You know he's called Garfield, well he's got one of those stuffed Garfield the Cat toys stuck to the windshield in the cockpit of that thing' Amanda told her. 'Knox spotted it from the back seats when he flew him to LA to pick some gizmo up.'

'Cute' Rona said, now having to shout over the rotor noise.

'My boyfriend or the cat?' Amanda asked with a grin.

'The cat' Rona responded.

'Hey' Amanda protested.

Fifty feet below their feet in the network of tunnels and chambers underneath the complex the firing range was insulated from the sound of the helicopter but was still less than peaceful as girls practiced with firearms, some pistols and shotguns but others with automatic rifles.

Charlotte lowered her carbine and ejected the spent clip before turning to the girls who had been watching. 'Okay any comments?' she asked.

'It looks cool, and I love the little smoke trails, but the accuracy stinks almost as much as the smell they leave behind' one of the other gunslayers opined. The acrid smell the new Buckingham Incendiary bullets left in the air was pretty much the same as one of their White Phosphorus grenades, and was less than pleasant in the enclosed range.

'And you've set the cardboard target alight' another girl noted.

'Bound too' Charlotte replied happily, 'bet the vampires don't like these' she said, reaching for a fresh magazine.

'And I think the sandbags behind the target have just caught fire too' the same girl added.

Charlotte spun around. 'Oh shit' she swore. 'CEASE FIRE ALL LANES' she shouted, 'somebody get a Fire Extinguisher!' she ordered. 'Should have thought of that' she said with a grimace. The far wall, which was over a hundred yards away, was protected from damage by a barrier of sandbags leaning against it and although the sand wouldn't burn the burlap sacks would and in fact were.

'Don't we have sprinklers?' a girl asked.

'Yes but there's no smoke detectors in here because of all the shooting' another pointed out.

'They'll make us clear that up' Charlotte moaned as sand started to spill out of holes burned in several sandbags.

'What do you mean "us" Jailbait?' another girl asked.

'This is when you find out who your friends are' Charlotte retorted as a girl carrying a fire-extinguisher started to run down the range towards the flames being cheered by everyone not already laughing. It wasn't like the fire could spread far, other than the sandbags the only thing at that end of the chamber was concrete and behind that bare rock.

'You people are a menace' a girl opined walking past. 'Goddamn gunslayers think they're special' she muttered.

'Screw you' Charlotte responded. 'And we _are_ fucking special' she added before addressing her own people once more. 'Okay so the new bullets work really well and let's never fire them in here again' she said.

'Excuse me' an unfamiliar girl with an accent that made her sound a little like a pirate asked. 'Are you the one the one Buffy says they call Jailbait?' she queried.

'Yes, who are you slayer?' Charlotte replied.

'I'm not a slayer' the girl replied, 'I'm Lara, I'm a witch' she said. 'I'm coming with you to Jasmine's planet in case you need my help' she said. 'I can do healing spells and...'

'Can you throw fireballs?' Charlotte interrupted.

'Only little ones' Lara admitted holding out her thumb and forefinger to indicate the size of them. 'Willow said she's going to help me with that.'

Charlotte frowned. 'Can you do a spell that would tidy up a big heap of sand?' she asked.

'I guess so' Lara replied uncertainly.

'Welcome aboard' Charlotte said brightly. 'After the fire down there is all put out you can show us' she said. 'The sand thing not the fireball' she said quickly.

'Okay' Lara agreed. 'Why _is_ there a fire down there?' she asked.

'No idea' Charlotte told her. 'Spontaneous combustion we think' she said.

* * *

_**Note from the author:**_

_This fanfic runs on reviews_


	23. Chapter 23

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****TWENTY****-****THREE**

**Hyperion**** Hotel – Los Angeles – January 2005**

Not wanting to make a scene in front of their Vinji guests, who were notoriously twitchy in attitude as well as body language, Angel wanted until they left before confronting Illyria, an index finger raised directly in front of her face and the vampire's expression indicated he was clearly beyond livid. 'I cannot _believe_ you did that in my Hotel' he began, 'my _home_' he added for emphasis.

'You are annoyed about the camel' Illyria decided.

'_Yes_ I'm annoyed about the camel!' Angel exclaimed, 'you sliced it's hump off when it was still alive, put a red hot iron poker through it's heart to finish it off then joined in with the Vinji Clan Leader in ripping it to bite sized pieces' he said.

'The Vinji consider camel meat a delicacy and the animals ritualistic demise meant the negotiations went more smoothly' Illyria told him. 'I made sure to put down plastic sheeting so the carpets in the dining room were unstained and the mess easily cleared up' she pointed out.

'You butchered a live camel in my hotel and _then_ I had to drink some of its blood' Angel complained.

'The Vinji's would have been insulted if as host you did also not partake in the meal' Illyria told him. 'As a vampire they accepted that you only drank the blood, and did not consume part of the flesh as I did, but if you had not made _some_ effort to conform to their customs they would have likely been so insulted we would have never been able to formalise our alliance with them against the Sahrvin Clan and their own allies amongst the followers of the Wolf, Ram and Hart.'

'I know, I did the research, which is why I kept my cool and drank the blood' Angel responded, 'but I shouldn't have been in that position' he stated angrily. 'I told Harmony to get chips and dips, there's no way I would have agreed to the camel' he stated.

Illyria nodded. 'I knew that and that is why I did not mention it' she told him.

'Where did you get a camel from anyway?' Angel asked incredulously. 'If I read there's one missing from the Los Angeles Zoo...'

'The animal was not stolen, I went to Egypt and purchased one from a market. They are consumed by humans there, it is not as if the creatures fate would have been much better if it had ended up in the stomachs of them instead' Illyria opined.

'It might not have been alive when they started carving it up' Angel replied sharply.

Illyria smirked. 'I was not aware you had joined PETA' she said, 'are you planning to protest outside restaurants where they boil lobsters alive? Giving up your penchant for leather clothing?' she asked sardonically. 'Can a vampire exist on a vegetarian diet?'

'I'm not going to let you argue your way out of this' Angel told her. 'This is my house, you live by my rules and you don't keep me out of the loop.'

'I was not aware of any standing house rule prohibiting the slaughter of dromedaries' Illyria replied deadpan though she knew it was funny. 'Now that I am I will not do so again' she agreed, the twinkle in her eye not entirely due to their currently crystalline form.

Angel crossed his arms. 'I know you think you're better than the rest of us...' he began.

'Because I am' Illyria interrupted.

'... but despite your protestations of godhood you're not perfect, you make mistakes, you're not omniscient or omnipotent you're only calculating and powerful' Angel told her. 'I'll admit you're a great strategist and tactician, I'll even admit you could kick my ass in a fair fight ninety-nine times out of a hundred...' he continued.

'You overestimate yourself' Illyria noted with some amusement.

'... but that doesn't give you the right to play your own game or to circumvent the proper way or doing things' Angel told her. 'This isn't the first time you've been told this either, when are you going to act like a team player?'

It actually said something for Illyria's progress, and her improved people skills, that she did not immediately retort that she would do so when she was more convinced that as the Most Valuable Player she was not carrying the team and instead she merely narrowed her eyes. 'Do not lecture me half-breed' she told Angel, 'I already give the rest of you far more leeway to criticise me than you deserve' she said. 'Neither you nor Buffy are my leader' she said, 'that I sometimes condescend to follow your less irrational plans and schemes, does not mean I accept your authority' she stated. 'I have some affection for you because of the shell, and I personally respect your fighting abilities, which are demonstrably better than they should be given your physical limitations, but that gives you no license to berate me for doing what was clearly the right thing merely because you are squeamish or are suffering a fit of pique because I did not keep you informed about the camel' she told the vampire. 'The end justifies the means.'

'Do you realise the horrors that have occurred because people thought that way?' Angel asked rhetorically.

'Horrors worse that the apocalypse planned by the Wolf, Ram and Hart?' Illyria replied flatly. 'Worse than perpetual enslavement by Jasmine? The God-King continued. 'Worse than conquest by the armies of the First Evil?' she asked, equally rhetorically. 'Get some perspective half-breed' she told him. 'If we had to act without a shred of ethics in order to ensure victory it would still be the only moral choice' she said before frowning. 'I do sympathise for you being burdened by a conscience which nags at you for doing the _right _thing in difficult circumstances' she told Angel.

'You're not trying to argue that the camel had to die to save the human race are you?' Angel asked sarcastically.

'Too difficult to prove but the smallest decision can lead to the greatest consequences in time' Illyria replied. 'Perhaps by helping to formalise an alliance of sorts with a demon clan it will improve our image?' she suggested. 'We could try a propaganda campaign built around the notion that the new council and its associates are not as demon-phobic as the organisation used to be' the God-King reasoned. 'By stressing that the slayers have also rendered military aid to demons on Pylea, and fought against the Scourge to defend the Lister Clan, it might be possible to improve their image amongst non-humans.'

'Improve their image?' Angel queried.

'For centuries slayers have been the boogieman to demonkind on this world, even amongst species who were not particularly hostile to humanity' Illyria explained. 'If we wish to shift the balance of power still further in our favour we should seek to assuage their fears and make affiliation with the Council and its Associates more palatable.'

'If you don't kill we won't kill you, and if you help us kill our enemies we'll protect you from yours' Angel said quietly.

Illyria nodded. 'Some of the groups we may find ourselves aligned with may be as unpalatable to you as you found the camel' she said wryly, 'but I assume you accept that sometimes things that are hard to stomach are necessary for the greater good?'

'There are limits Illyria' Angel told her, 'and _you_ don't get to set what they are because_ your_ version of what's acceptable to do to win is too damn unrestricted.'

Illyria smiled. 'You'll see the light' she said confidently, 'prophecy says so' she noted. 'The once and_ future_ God-King remember?'

'That's not seeing the light Illyria, that's embracing the darkness' Angel replied.

The Shaper of Things turned to leave. 'In the night to come I may be the bright star you look to for salvation.'

'You'd better clean up that mess' Angel told her, 'and I don't want that blood-splattered plastic sheeting stuffed in the trash' he told her.

'Do not be concerned, I will have Glory deal with it' Illyria replied. Everyone should have a Hellgod, she thought, as labour-saving domestic appliances go it beat anything coming from Hotpoint or Acme.

**Shadow Valley – California – January 2005**

Xander liked giving these tours to newly arrived slayers, it gave him an audience to play to that hadn't already heard his best material and he knew his irreverent, jokey manner made them feel better, most looked nervous in the extreme the first few days despite, or perhaps because of the pep talk Buffy gave all new recruits.

Wanting to finish on a high note the last stop on the tour was the canteen for tasty treats, but the second to last was pretty interesting too Xander realised as he led half a dozen girls through the "Museum" where artefacts and trophies were on display, pausing occasionally to explain what one of the things in the display cases was and give an amusing anecdote about it was a cool way to spend half an hour he decided. It was better than teaching shop anyway, far too many girls simply didn't care about what they thought were mundane things like how to make your own custom stakes or the proper way to sharpen a knife.

'What's that?' one of the girls asked.

'Shadow puppets' Xander told her, 'spin that and speak the words on the page there and you get transported to another dimension where you'll meet the original Shadow Men who made the first slayer' he said. 'They chained her to a rock and put some of the essence of a demon into her to make her strong enough to fight evil.'

'They chained her?' another asked in distaste.

'Not so much a volunteer' Xander responded. 'To quote Medousa "The chain of slayers back to the dawn of history is based on chains of bondage".'

'And the Shadow Men became the watchers?' a girl queried, Xander had mentioned that earlier.

Xander nodded. 'So the story goes' he replied, 'The Watcher Histories are in the library if you want to read them' he continued, 'Emily has been translating some of the older ones from Latin so its not just the watchers that can read them' he noted.

'Who's Emily?' a slayer asked.

'Watcher girl about your age' Xander explained. 'She goes to school in LA so she's usually only here at the weekend' he said. 'Lot's of the girls say they prefer to talk to Emily than Giles if you want to ask watchery type questions so she's worth knowing' he advised.

'That's a big hammer' a girl noted, pointing at something mounted on a wall.

Xander grinned. 'Thor's been wondering where he left that' he joked. 'Seriously though, _that _ladies is the hammer which was carried by Olaf the Troll and which was later used by Buffy to pound Glory the Hellgod into submission' he said. 'It's even heavier than it looks, the wall there is specially reinforced to take the weight as is the wall there opposite' he said, turning around.

'That's a _really_ big sword' a girl declared, turning with him.

'I made that' Xander said proudly, 'out of a steel girder as you can probably tell' he continued. 'When Glory made her big comeback that was the weapon Illyria the Old One used to pound her into submission the second time' he said. 'Nothing says "you are in deep trouble" like a Demon God with a vicious smirk carrying a sharpened, and enchanted, A992 Grade I-Beam' he said with a grin.

'And Illyria's the _good_ demon-god?' a girl checked.

'Calling her "good" would be a stretch' Xander replied. 'If you like weapons follow me' he said leading them around the next corner, ignoring the various magical artefacts and scrolls on display.

'That's a rocket-launcher' a girl stated.

'The very same one Buffy used to blow a demon called "The Judge" to little pieces' Xander told them. 'And if you want its continuing story, under the influence of a spell she nearly used it to blow Robin Wood to even smaller pieces too' he told them. 'That's a funny story' he said, 'well it was to me and Spike' he admitted, 'the girls don't like to talk about it much.'

'What are the teeth from?' a girl asked, pointing at another display cabinet 'a dinosaur?'

'Wrong kind of museum' Xander told her, 'those are dragon's teeth' he explained, 'souvenirs from Pylea' he said. 'They fly and breathe fire just like in the stories' he said, 'some are supposed to be pretty smart, others have been bred to be dumb and domesticated.'

'Did someone slay it with a sword like Saint George?' the girl asked.

'No that one was shot out of the sky by a slayer with a very big rifle' Xander replied. 'That's one of the bullets it fires in there with the teeth' he said indicating a cartridge more correctly described as a cannon shell rather than a rifle bullet. 'If you meet a South African girl named Rika it was her.'

'I prefer a sword to a gun' a girl opined.

'Most do, it's the slayer way' Xander responded, 'you'll still be expected to know how to use both though' he continued. 'If you're fighting zombies you'll find blowing their heads off with a shotgun is easier than stabbing them with swords they won't even feel' he said. 'Almost nothing beats a slayer in hand-to-hand but that's no reason not to use your brains and trigger finger instead of your brawn and knuckles sometimes.'

'I heard Buffy doesn't use guns' a girl asked. 'Except for rocket launchers anyway' she said with a grin which Xander returned.

'Two schools of thought there' Xander replied. 'She's either a traditionalist or a bad shot' he said. 'You will find her down on the firing range with a crossbow, and very occasionally a shotgun sometimes, so you can decide for yourself' he said. 'Okay if you've never seen it this is what the well dressed slayer in wearing in 2005' he told them reaching a display of equipment. 'Short sword' he began lifting a roman-style gladius from the display, 'we get them specially made from the best steel available and the most advanced forging techniques' he said. 'Them we enchant them to stay sharp, never rust and hurt more' he said before replacing it. 'Brass knuckles for when you want to punch something and make sure it knows it's been punched' he said indicating a set. 'Collapsible sword' he said tapping it, 'easily concealed down your sleeve and guaranteed to give your opponent a nasty surprise' he said. 'Spring-loaded stake on the other wrist a useful counterpart' he added pointing at another device.

'What about a scythe?' a girl interrupted.

'There's a waiting list' Xander told her, 'the one there isn't enchanted it's for display purposes only' he said 'might be a while until you get yours' he said. 'Even the gear you will get is better than anything slayers have ever carried until now' he noted.

'How many girls have a scythe?' the same girl queried.

'Sixty-something now I think' Xander answered, not entirely sure, 'all the girls who were with us at the Sunnydale Hellmouth and a few who joined soon afterwards' he said, 'it's first come first served and you're at the back of the queue' he told them apologetically. 'They're starting to make them faster now we've got more witches to help out with the powering up but one every week might be the limit, the rituals are... wordy.'

'One a week?' the slayer asked. 'How many slayers are there?'

Xander shuffled awkwardly. 'Worldwide two thousand or so' he replied.

'Two thousand at roughly fifty scythes a year... so we'll all have one sometime in the 2040's' the girl worked out.

'Make friends with someone that's already got one and she might let you borrow it occasionally' Xander suggested. 'Most of the girls with a scythe are team leaders now because of experience and it's always good policy to kiss up to the boss anyway' he advised with a smile. 'So I think it's time to eat junk food' he said, 'best to get to the canteen before there's a queue there too' he said.

**Border Post – ****Pylea**** – January 2005**

A month into PDF Service and Rieff was definitely starting to wonder if he had made the right choice. The training was ruthlessly hard under the less than tender mercies of the drill instructors, all being hardened veterans of the recent war, the food left a great deal to be desired and as the only Lister Demon in the Pylean Defence Forces he was always singled out to be picked on.

Initially he _had_ thought that knowing Cordelia Chase, now the Princess of Pylea, from back on Earth might have been an advantage in terms of giving him some status, but instead it had turned out to be a very bad thing. All it did was lead to completely false accusations of favouritism which further alienated him from the other recruits.

All of his gripes about the situation were currently eclipsed by one thing that was on his mind more than anything else, after a two day forced march to get here his feet hurt like hell and all he wanted to do was take off his combat boots and sit on the riverbank with his feet in the inviting water down there. The commander of the training company had decided to march the recruits up to the border to show them the enemy and test how fast they could get there from the new training camp if war broke out again. At this moment, facing the prospect of marching all the way back again, the young Lister Demon was praying to every deity he could think of for Southern Pylea to choose this moment to invade. Getting shot at seemed far more appealing than more stomping down mile after mile of dirt tracks carrying a full pack and a rifle.

'Are you with us Private Rieff?' a sergeant of the Gathwok Clan bellowed at him, snapping him away from his thoughts.

'Yes Sir, I mean Sergeant' Rieff responded instantly.

'Then stop staring into space like a Hellhound that's been drinking Flip Liquor' the sergeant told him before directing his attention to the rest of the platoon. 'This is the border' he said. 'Our job as soldiers is to stop the traitor scum and foreign invaders from over _there_ coming over _here_' he declared. 'It's as simple as that, I don't expect you to able to handle anything more complicated' he continued, starting to walk along the ragged line he had formed up.

The sergeant stopped in front of a human recruit. 'Do you know what they'd do to your family over there Private?' he asked.

'They'd enslave them sergeant' the recruit replied, 'maybe eat them' he added.

'Right' the Gathwok sergeant replied with a nod. 'If we _all_ want to stay free, and if some of us want to stay off the menu, _this_ is the line we hold' he said. 'And we _will_ hold it until the day it's _us_ crossing the border heading South' he said confidently. 'One Land, One Princess, One Nation free and independent' he said.

'One Land, One Princess, One Nation free and independent' the rest of the platoon intoned in unison, Rieff joining in with considerably less feeling and enthusiasm than the others. This world might be his new home, and that of his people, but he still didn't identify with it like those born here did. Maybe in a few years he would, but not now, not yet and especially not with the sore feet that land had given him anyway.

'Take 30' the sergeant ordered. 'We're going to make camp up on that hill tonight' he said pointing at something that looked a lot more like a mountain than a hill to Rieff who stifled back a groan which would earn him fifty pushups at least. 'Fall out' the sergeant ordered and the platoon began to split up, each recruit looking for somewhere to sit down.

Rieff took off his pack lowering it gently to the ground before sitting down next to it. His rifle in his lap. He had seen plenty of AK-47's on TV back home but if you'd ever told him one day he'd be hauling one around a Hell Dimension wearing cheap army-surplus camouflage gear he would have been more than doubtful.

Another recruit of the deathwok clan was looking across the river. 'We've got an audience' he said, pointing across it.

Everyone turned and spotted a large number of demons on the far bank, some were wearing the bucket helmets and grey livery that indicated troops loyal to Narwek but their was also a smattering of others clad in human style uniforms of their own. 'Who's the scum in the red and brown camo?' one of the recruits asked.

'Covenant Troops' the Sergeant said, raising a pair of binoculars. 'That uniform it's called Alpenflauge or something, Ashton the Mercenary recognised it the first time we saw them wearing it at the border before he went home' he told them. 'Their leader Berith has red as a clan colour which is why they adopted it most likely' the sergeant continued. 'Comes from some Army on Earth, country called Swissland.'

'Switzerland' Rieff corrected him.

'You been there?' one of the other recruits asked.

'No it was thousands of miles away from where I was from, and across an ocean' Rieff replied. 'We couldn't travel much, my people I mean, we had to hide from the humans' he explained.

'Why?' a human wanted to know.

Rieff laughed. 'I know they say everything is perfect back on Earth but demons were persecuted there like humans were here' he said. 'Some deserved it but plenty didn't' he continued. 'My people never did but I couldn't even go out openly in daylight' he told them.

The gathwok sergeant made a dismissive sound. 'I thought we were overdue another sob-story from Private Rieff about how bad he had it growing up' he said sarcastically, still looking through the binoculars and therefore missing the Lister Demon giving him the finger, not that he would have recognised the gesture. 'They're new' the sergeant said randomly.

'Sarge?' one of the recruits queried.

'New type of demon, different uniform' the gathwok said. 'Guess they're showing their new recruits the border too' he reasoned.

Rieff turned, and using his hand to shield his eyes from the glare of Pylea's twin suns took a better look, his eyes widened almost as soon as he got them focused. 'Holy shit' he swore jumping to his feet. 'Binoculars' he practically yelled at the Sergeant. 'Let me see' he demanded. 'You can run me till I puke later but give me the fucking binoculars' he insisted.

'This had better be good Rieff' the sergeant told him, handing them over.

The young Lister Demon raised the binoculars to his eyes. 'Motherfucker!' he exclaimed, 'it is, it fucking is!' he continued. 'It's the fucking _Scourge_' he said in amazement, lowering the binoculars. 'Son of a _bitch_' he said, shaking his head, 'what the crap are _they_ doing here?'

'Who the hell are the Scourge?' a Deathwok asked in confusion as Rieff practically threw the binoculars back at the sergeant.

Rieff glared across the river, teeth clenched, eyes starting to practically blaze with fury. It fucking figured the Scourge would be friends with those assholes down south he decided. 'Come on' he growled, 'cross the fucking river' he muttered darkly to himself. 'I've got something for you' he said, brandishing his rifle. 'Come on' he repeated himself, 'not going to be so fucking easy coming after us _this _time' he vowed.

'Friends of yours Private?' the Sergeant asked sardonically.

* * *

**_Note from the Author:_**

_This Fanfic runs on reviews._


	24. Chapter 24

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****TWENTY****-****FOUR**

**Shadow Valley – California – January 2005**

It was fortunate it wasn't mid-summer because Vi was already sweating buckets under the tight fitting respirator. After analysis of the air sample Angel had picked up on Jasmine's World it had been decided a full NBC (Nuclear, Biological or Chemical) Suit wasn't necessary but the gas-mask itself certainly was. The high concentrations of chlorine, plus a few other nasty gases in the air wouldn't just choke you to death, they'd practically corrode your lungs. 'That's better' Vi declared checking her watch, her badly voice muffled by the mask, 'now do it again' she continued, the girls forming up to run the drill again. 'The only thing the bugs have going for them is numbers and martyrdom' she said. 'If we get mobbed I want to be able to get into formation to repel and attack from any direction immediately' she said. 'Lara, fall-out and take a rest' she told the witch who was already flagging badly, not blessed with a slayers stamina.

Like a number of others Willow had wandered out from the main building to watch the gunslayers run around one of the playing fields like lunatics wearing heavy black rubber gas-masks. 'That doesn't look like fun to me' she opined to Lara who had dragged herself away from the others and was no pulling off her own mask.

'Sod this for a game of soldiers' Lara moaned, or rather practically wheezed drawing heavy breaths as she dropped to the ground, the close cropped grass and dry earth being surprisingly comfortable.

Willow giggled. 'So being turned into a lean mean slaying machine isn't your cup of tea?' she asked.

'It would be bad enough even if it _wasn't_ for the mask' Lara declared, sprawling onto her back.

'You're not carrying a rucksack like the rest of them' Willow noted.

'I'm still knackered' Lara replied, 'it's alright for them, _they've_ got superpowers' she stated, looking up at the sky.

'You did say you do long-distance running' Willow pointed out. 'You kept up the pace longer than I could have.

Lara lifted her head off the ground and turned it towards Willow. 'I watched a girl sprint, I mean actually _sprint_the ten thousand metres earlier' she said. 'There's no keeping up with that.'

Willow smiled. 'Don't forget they need us too' she reminded the girl. 'All that strength and speed is useless against some things out there, half of them would kill to be any good at the Magicks' she said, 'some of them literally' she added.

Lara sat herself up. 'You weren't exaggerating when you said they were strange' she said. 'They talk to each other like characters in a war movie' she said.

'There's a theory that the mix of too much pop culture and the Pylean war warped their tiny psychotic minds' Willow joked.

'One to one they're okay, they get worse in a group' Lara opined then grinned. 'I was taught how to fire a handgun by Vi first thing this morning' she said, 'I wasn't keen, I told Vi it goes against the principles of the rede to kill people' she said.

'These eight words the rede fulfill' Willow quoted, 'An ye harm none, Do what ye will.'

Lara nodded. 'Vi told me it was only for self defence and only against demons if I wanted' she said, 'then she told me guns don't kill people, _gunslayers_ kill people' she told Willow.

'They have' Willow agreed, 'people that would have killed them, but that's the reason they set themselves apart from the other girls so much' she said. 'Killing a human being, even an evil one isn't the same as killing a demon' she continued. 'It changes you' she said, looking away into the distance.

'And it gets easier after the first time' Vi interrupted walking over having now sent the rest of the girls off to shower before lunch.

Willow blinked. 'That's what scares me' she said quietly.

Vi held out a hand to help pull Lara to her feet. 'Clean yourself up and meet us in the canteen at Thirteen-Hundred Hours' she told the witch, 'you're eating with us from now on' she said, 'the girls need to think of you as part of the team if you're going into action with us' she told her.

'What are we doing this afternoon?' Lara asked accepting Vi's hand and getting up.

'Rifle practice wearing the respirators' Vi answered, 'we expect you to be somewhere on the range throwing fireballs.'

Willow crossed her arms. 'Using the magicks is tiring' she said, 'you shouldn't expect Lara to do it too often' she told Vi, 'and anyhow if she overdoes them it could be dangerous' she noted.

'Black-eyed and pale, dangerous?' Vi queried.

'Yes potentially' Willow replied. 'Lara doesn't have my power but she's never had to develop my control either.'

'Better idea of my limits' Lara observed wryly. Willow was inordinately powerful but was known at the coven for having "issues". There was always the possibility that she'd go off the rails again and turn you into bangers and mash or something.

Vi put her arms behind her back in a parade-rest stance. 'We'll need you to expand those limits' she said.

'She's not one of your merry band Vi' Willow responded, 'I'm loaning her from my department remember' she noted.

The Chief Gunslayer turned to look Willow right in the eyes. 'Anybody my people rely on is expected to give everything they have when they have to' she said. 'I've seen you go above and beyond with the magicks and I've seen Wesley do it too and come back' she told her before facing Lara again. 'If it hurts take the pain, if you think you're losing it either get a grip or tell one of us to knock you out' she said.

'We need to find a better fail-safe than that one day' Willow remarked, subconsciously rubbing her chin where Illyria had once slugged her because she'd gone too far with the magicks. Kennedy had done the same to Wesley too when he went over the edge so it was a tried and tested technique by now.

'You wouldn't break my jaw would you?' Lara checked nervously.

'Not deliberately' Vi replied, 'but I'm not making any cast-iron guarantees' she said honestly. Even if a slayer pulled their punches ordinary humans were fragile. 'We're borrowing one of the school buses and going to a club in the next town tonight after the lecture Rebecca is giving, you're welcome to come along and see what we're like when we're not playing soldier' she told Lara, 'we'll ring a drinks order ahead, they'll be a rum and coke waiting on the bar for you when you arrive.'

'Why would I want a rum and coke?' Lara asked.

'Okay we'll tell them to leave out the coke' Vi told her.

'This is a pirate joke again isn't it?' Lara asked tersely. 'I _don't_ sound like a pirate' she insisted, 'I'm from the West Country, pirate stereotypes sound like _me_.'

Vi grinned, they'd already decided to issue her a cutlass instead of a Gladius short-sword. 'Would it kill you to say "Arr" more often?' she asked.

Lara narrowed her eyes 'I can turn you into a rat' she stated. 'Remember that.'

Willow laughed. 'She can you know, it was in my old book of spells I gave her' she told Vi. Willow herself was now using the far more powerful tome that Enyo had bought back from the 2020's.

'If she'd threatened to turn me into a parrot or a ships cat I'd be more worried' Vi deadpanned.

'Very funny' Lara responded, 'Har de har har' she said sarcastically.

'Close enough' Vi told her. 'Now say "avast" or something nautical' she requested.

'Rat's make better pets than people think' Willow advised Lara, 'Amy is more of a pain in the ass now than she was as a rodent.'

Vi looked from one witch to the other. 'See you at lunch' she told Lara then fled.

'Got to keep them in their place' Willow told Lara, 'slayers I mean.'

Lara nodded. 'Learning that' she replied.

**Gateway District – Cleveland – January 2005**

Kennedy shuffled nervously in her chair. She had chosen the restaurant carefully and had been here before with Willow but she hoped it would pass muster. The letter had come completely out of the blue, she certainly hadn't been expecting it, but a slayer is supposed to be able to think on her feet and adapt to unforeseen and disquieting situations.

Under the direction of the Maître d Kennedy's guests finally arrived, she definitely hadn't been expecting them to take up her invitation to visit so soon after she replied to the letter but here they were, flying in only a couple of days later to visit. Wishing she _had_ ordered a nice suitably alcoholic drink at the bar Kennedy stood up and met them. 'Mom, Dad' she said kissing each on the cheek in a restrained display of affection. 'Paige' she added giving her sibling a slightly less formal hug which her half-sister returned.

'So how have you been Kennedy?' her step-mother asked. 'Your father and I have been wondering if you were ever going to get in contact again.'

I'm not going to start an argument, Kennedy thought to herself, even though any estrangement was down to them not her. They treated her being a potential as being some silly hobby to tolerate that she'd grow out of eventually and always acted like her watcher was just another private tutor and Kennedy always hated that, being a potential and now a slayer was part of who she was. 'I've been very busy' Kennedy replied as they took their seats, the waiter handing out menu's.

'Too busy to put pen to paper or pick up a telephone?' her father asked. 'Can you give us a few minutes to decide' he told the waiter who departed after taking a drinks order.

'I sent you all a Christmas card' Kennedy noted. 'The chef's signature dish is excellent here' she advised.

'So you've _not_ been living on nothing but junk food?' her step-mother observed. 'Glad to hear it, your tastes did sometimes lean towards the plebian.'

To her credit Paige rolled her eyes slightly at her mothers words and gave Kennedy a grin. Despite their privileged background she was of the opinion that a good pizza was an underrated meal too, although she preferred nacho's as her guilty junk-food of choice. 'I try to find time to eat at one of the better restaurants in town once a week' Kennedy replied. 'It's not like living in New York of course but the choice isn't too poor' she continued.

Kennedy's father nodded, it was a sad truth for all those from New York that with the possible exception of Paris there wasn't another city in the world where you had such scope to dine well. 'So you mentioned in your letter that you hold some position of authority in your... organisation' he asked.

Kennedy nodded. 'My base in here in Cleveland but I'm responsible for all operations in the Great Lakes area' she said.

'Many staff?' her step-mother asked wryly.

'Three teams of nine slayers each on a permanent basis though that number goes up when we're busy and additional girls are deployed' Kennedy answered before sipping from a glass of water. 'Two watchers at the moment but normally only one' she added.

'Cool' Paige responded.

'I hope they're paying you a decent wage' their father told Kennedy. 'That watcher you had before seemed to be paid a pittance' he noted as the waiter bought their drinks and distributed them being told they still weren't ready to order.

'Funding isn't as bad as it used to be' Kennedy replied.

'I realise it's terribly crass to ask but what are they paying you?' her step-mother asked. 'Your father will pick up the bill if it'll impact on your finances' she said.

'We know it may have been hard on you cutting off your allowance' Kennedy's father agreed. He only did so for her own good, thinking it might break her stubborn insistence on keeping up with this silly vampire-slayer business.

'Seventy-five thousand a year plus expenses, all room and board free, company credit card with a ten million dollar limit' Kennedy answered. 'We're expecting a pay-rise this year because we recently sold some patent rights to David Nabbett so finances are better, should be another twenty-five thousand or so' she said.

Kennedy's step-mother blinked, that was somewhat more than she had been expecting. It wasn't a great deal of money by their standards but it wasn't the pittance she had imagined it would be. 'David Nabbett the computer billionaire?' she checked.

'Yes' Kennedy confirmed. 'He's a friend of some of the people in the LA branch, and comes to our social functions occasionally' she continued. 'He helped design some of our IT systems too, personally I mean' she said. 'If you ever wanted to establish business contact I can put in a good word Dad' she told her father, trying not to sound smug. David Nabbett genuinely did come to their social functions but it was usually a dungeons and dragons tournament, Andrew was still jealous that his cape wasn't half as well tailored as the billionaires.

'So what's your girlfriend like' Paige asked sweetly, waiting for the flinch from her father which was bound to follow. Despite Kennedy making it quite clear from a surprisingly early age she liked girls "that way" he remained more than uncomfortable about it. The estrangement between Kennedy and her family wasn't just about her vampire staking habit, her parents weren't hugely approving of her lesbianism either, they were however too well bred to bring the subject up, particularly in public.

'Very sweet' Kennedy answered.

'She doesn't live with you?' Paige asked. 'Thought I might meet her.'

'She lives in California, I see her once ever week or two when she visits' Kennedy replied.

'She must like flying' Paige suggested.

Kennedy smiled. 'She's okay with it' she replied. Explaining that she teleported here was unlikely to be believed.

'So if your... girlfriend... isn't joining us why did you book a table for five?' her step-mother asked.

'I asked my watcher to join us, he said he'd like to meet you all' Kennedy responded. In reality she had asked him to come because it would guarantee things remained placid even if her step-mother decided to enjoy a few glasses of wine with dinner. She would never make a scene with a stranger present. 'He's running late, he had to deal with a work issue' she told them. 'He should be arriving any minute now according to the text he sent me.'

Her father raised his eyebrows. 'Well I suppose it gives me a chance to meet the man' he said. 'British I assume?' he asked.

'Very' Kennedy confirmed with a smile.

'Oh great, an old British guy, that'll be fun' Paige said sarcastically. Kennedy's old watcher, the one that she heard had died, maybe of old age as far as she knew, had been more staid and tightly wrapped than even their parents.

Kennedy looked up slightly. 'I can't say he's a riot' she agreed.

'Oh come on, be fair, I'm a major public disturbance at the very least' a voice interjected. 'You must be Kennedy's parents' it continued, 'a pleasure to meet you' the young man said.

'This is Stephen Travers my watcher' Kennedy told them as her father stood up and shook hands. 'Stephen this is my sister Paige' she added.

'You're... younger than I expected' Kennedy's father admitted. The Englishman looked Kennedy's age at most.

'You might think of me as on the fast track' Stephen replied taking his seat. 'Still not ordered?' he asked, seeing the menus. 'You didn't wait for me I hope?' he asked.

'So you're a watcher' Kennedy's step-mother asked. 'How does one get into that line of work?' she asked making polite conversation.

'It's a family tradition' Stephen replied. 'My father was head of the watchers council' he added. 'Can I get a sparkling mineral water?' he asked a waiter who was passing the table. 'Kennedy tells me your family is well established in New York State?' he asked her father.

'Since before the Revolutionary War' Kennedy noted.

'Dashed unpleasant business, we're still waiting for you to see the light there and admit the error of your ways' Stephen joked.

'And how long has your family been in the watcher business?' Kennedy's father asked.

Stephen frowned. 'Records get sketchy when you go back far enough' he said. 'One of my ancestors was Head of the Council in the mid fifteen-hundreds so presuming we worked our way up the ranks the Travers family has been doing this since the fifteenth century at least' he said. 'We're not the oldest family however, the current Head of the Council Rupert Giles can likely trace his line back to the Norman Conquest' he said, 'I'm afraid our mere five or six centuries makes us rather the upstarts.'

'I gather you think family is important then?' Kennedy's father asked. 'Perhaps you could instil some of that ethos on my eldest daughter' he requested.

Stephen half-smiled. 'I'll add it to the long list of things I try to suggest' he replied. 'She's very strong-willed and determined which has proven to be greatly to her credit I must say.'

'You didn't have to raise her' Kennedy father replied with some amusement.

'Would have been tricky, given that I'm eighteen months or so younger' Stephen noted. 'However you have my sympathy' he said trying not to laugh. 'I can say in all honesty however that Kennedy is one of the most admirable individuals I've ever encountered and a good friend as well as a colleague' he said. 'She does you credit and if you'll forgive the temerity in saying so you should be very proud of her.'

'Your fan club's kinda cute' Paige remarked.

'Your sister is _very_ perceptive' Stephen told Kennedy.

Kennedy sighed. 'Thanks Paige, I have to live with that' she said sadly.

**Shadow Valley – California – January 2005**

Rebecca paused the video which had been playing projected onto the wall and turned up the lights in the lecture theatre again. 'That's film footage of a battle we fought with the bugs in 2023 taken from the database I bought back with me' she said. 'You'll note that although they do swarm you with wave after wave to try and overwhelm you they aren't stupid, they're only determined' she told the audience.

'They set a trap' a girl remarked, 'ambushed you' she said.

'Right' Rebecca agreed, 'don't let the fact they look like big ugly cockroaches fool you' she said, 'they do use tactics and they change them if they aren't working' she said. 'If they were dumb unthinking animals they would be as much of a threat as they are, they're not just strong and hard to kill they're too damn smart for comfort' she said. 'You can hold a _conversation_ with a bug and if their English isn't always too great remember you can't speak their language _at all_' she reminded everyone.

'What are they like to talk to?' a girl asked intrigued.

'They call us furries' Rebecca replied, 'sometimes mice, they look down on us because we're mammals and we're slow and weak compared to them, well ordinary humans are anyway' she said. 'Even so if you talk to them they'll usually talk back if they understand you, especially if they're alone without one of their own kind to talk to' she continued, 'we think that's because they prefer company, they don't only look a lot like insects their society is similar too, they live in large populous hive-like cities underground which is why we often ended up tracking them into sewers, they like dark tunnels.'

'Do they like, threaten you when you talk?' the same girl asked.

'Yes but they'll try and convert you too' Rebecca replied. 'Remember they do think they're trying to _help_ us by fighting for Jasmine' she said. 'They want us to see her beauty, worship her and bask in her radiance like they do' she continued. 'Remember that Jasmine's power _is_ real, when you're in her aura you_ are_ happy, content and fulfilled' Rebecca told them, 'they think they're fighting for a righteous noble cause, so to them _we're_ the bad guys' she said. 'I don't know if everyone felt the same way as I did but I always felt worse fighting Jasmine's bugs than I did Turok'Han' she admitted, 'you knew for a fact the uber-vamps deserved to be dusted, the bugs were only misguided.'

'It's not just name, rank and serial number then ?' Vi asked, most of the girls there were gunslayers because they were the ones going to the demons homeworld very soon.

'Unless you torture it, and I mean torture it _hard_' Rebecca responded, 'a bug will never tell you its name' she said. 'They think letting people know your name gives them some power over you.'

'Because knowing Jasmine's real name gives you some power over her right?' Vi asked.

'Right' Rebecca agreed, 'the bugs think our kind of magic, spellcasting incantations is weak word magic compared to their blood magic but names are an exception, those they do think have power.'

'How powerful is their blood magic?' Lara asked, this was her field now.

Rebecca pursed her lips. 'At some things it's not so great' she said, 'I never ran into a bug mage who was big with the fireballs, but when it comes to other stuff they're pretty good' she said. 'The glyphs that stop you being seen by any magical or electronic surveillance don't work _at all_ with the bugs, they see right through them' she said. 'They're good at portals, a lot better than we would be without Dawn's blood to cheat with' she continued, 'location spells are a specialty, especially if they've got a trace of the blood of whatever it is they're looking for, and if you see a line of blood on the ground across a doorway don't cross it because it's a weird warding thing they can do' she said. 'I once nearly broke my nose doing that chasing a bug into a building, it was like running headfirst into an invisible wall' she said. 'They can cross them, you can't.'

'How do I break it?' Lara checked.

'There's a spell which will crack the ward, something Willow picked up from when the Knights of Byzantium used Clerics to break one of hers' Rebecca answered. 'She had a condensed version which should be in the book I gave her, still takes a few minutes.'

'I'll get a copy' Lara said, writing herself a note.

'How tough are they?' Charlotte asked.

'In hand-to-hand very' Rebecca answered, 'they'll slice you to pieces' she said. 'They're stronger than most things you've tangled with and _they_ don't cut so easily' she said. 'An enchanted blade will work but expect to have to drive it in hard and deep unless you go for the area around the throat which is softer' she advised. 'You can jump on one from behind and break its neck for a quick kill but put some muscle power into it and it'll buck like crazy to throw you off.'

'No special resistance to guns?' Vi queried.

'Not especially but expect to have to put more holes in than most things before they'll stop coming' Rebecca replied, 'we used more powerful rifles than you and still tried to put a burst into each one to guarantee a quick kill' she said. 'They have a hardened exoskeleton which won't stop a rifle round but will sometimes stop a pistol bullet so remember that' she said. 'The same thing means shrapnel isn't as effective as it should be so fragmentation grenades aren't always a good choice.'

'Incendiaries?' Vi asked.

'Like most things the bugs don't like to be on fire' Rebecca replied. 'They don't like bright light much either so you'd be surprised how much a stun grenade or even a magnesium flare will bother them.'

'What's the easiest way to kill them?' Charlotte asked.

Rebecca looked thoughtful. 'Nuclear strikes usually worked pretty well' she considered. 'You'll see why I said that when you see how many there are.'

'We carry plenty of bullets' Vi said confidently. 'Forever outnumbered' she said loudly.

'Never outgunned' the gunslayers in the hall thundered back.

'Don't worry we'll teach you all the catchphrases' Vi told Lara who hadn't joined in.

'Okay' Lara replied noncommittally, bloody maniacs she thought to herself.

* * *

**_Note from the Author:_**

_This fanfic runs on reviews... not getting too many recently, hope you're all still enjoying the story?_


	25. Chapter 25

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****TWENTY****-****FIVE**

**Shadow Valley – California – ****February**** 2005**

Buffy walked beside Vi as they toured the sports hall which was now being used for a final equipment check, tables piled high with weaponry and supplies surrounded by gunslayers and a few curious onlookers.

'Does she always do that?' Buffy whispered toVi, surreptitiously indicating a girl nearby.

'Do what?' Vi whispered back.

'She's talking to her gun' Buffy replied.

'Oh right, yeah Rika does that' Vi told her, 'she calls it Joachim' she explained, 'don't worry she doesn't think it talks back or anything' she said reassuringly.

Buffy was only marginally reassured but remembered Kendra naming her trusty stake "Mr Pointy" and wondered if she used to talk to it too. 'What are they?' she asked more loudly, indicating a number of oversized canvas handbags.

'Satchel Charges' Vi answered. 'We use them for demolition, twenty pounds of plastic explosive and a timer' she told Buffy. 'Don't worry' she said in response to Buffy's sudden look of concern, 'we use a stable plastique, it won't go boom until you want it to' she said confidently. 'One of the girls got bored on Pylea one time and made little models from it like Play-Doh' she said laughing. 'How are you doing Lucy?' Vi asked one of the girls who Buffy recognised as one of the original girls who had been at the battle to close the Hellmouth and was now the proud owner of her very own scythe, a major status symbol in the slayer community which was why it was propped up against the table she was stood at.

'This gets really boring after a while' Lucy complained as she picked up yet another bullet from a crate and loaded it into yet another translucent plastic thirty round rifle magazine.

'You shouldn't have made the bet' Vi replied with a grin, 'Lucy here thought she could pick up any guy we pointed out at this club we went to.'

'He_ had_ to have been gay' Lucy stated flatly.

Vi laughed. 'She was so confident she offered a bet to load four magazines for each girl going to the Planet of the Bugs if she couldn't do it' she explained. 'Normally we all load our own.'

'I've been loading these every spare minute for days' Lucy moaned. 'Once I've done everyone else's I've _still_ got to do twenty for myself.'

'Plus a hundred round drum' Vi reminded her causing Lucy to groan. 'We all carry one of those just in case things get too hectic to think about reloading' she told Buffy. Normal expected combat load in the US Army was two-hundred and ten rounds, the gunslayers carried seven hundred as the norm, twenty box magazines and a drum. Running out of ammo when you were face to face with ten thousand demons and re-supply was a dimension away was _not_ for the good and it wasn't like the extra weight was a big deal.

'You've got enough rifles now?' Buffy checked as Vi wandered to the next table where another girl was stripping down and carefully oiling one.

'Enough for all ten teams we're taking' Vi answered. 'We were hoping to get light-machineguns re-chambered for the new ammunition too but they ran into problems there, so we're still using 5.56 millimetre for those' she said regretfully. The new 6.5mm bullets their carbines fired hit notably harder than the ones in standard military use. 'Even so the overall level of firepower is way above what we had in Pylea' Vi told Buffy brightly. 'Each carbine has one of these single-shot grenade launchers under the barrel' she said indicating one, 'and we've also got a grenadier with a six-shot launcher instead of a carbine in every team' she added.

'Surprised you still carry swords' Buffy commented.

'Firearms let you kill at a distance but melee weapons don't run out of ammunition' Vi replied. 'Anyhow we might be gun-nuts' she said with amusement, 'but we're _still_ slayers' she added forecefully. Although her people trained less for hand-to-hand combat or swordplay than ordinary slayers they still had their inbuilt instinct to want to mix it up close and personal and didn't shy away from the old fashioned way of doing things when the situation called for it.

Buffy nodded and looked around. 'They know this is a volunteer mission?' she checked.

'I had more volunteers than I could take with me' Vi responded. 'We all want to see how good the bugs are in a fight first hand' she said.

'And show them how good _we_ are' another girl interjected as she looked down the telescopic gunsight on her unloaded carbine, sighting it on a spot on the far wall. She then activated the integral laser sight and placed a green dot in the same place.

'Just bring them all back with you' Buffy told Vi. 'You run into any situation you think you might lose anyone, portal straight home' she said.

Vi nodded but she didn't plan to obey. This mission was designed to frighten the bugs into ending their nasty crusading habit and wussing out at the first sign of trouble would only embolden them instead. Before she first went to Pylea Wesley had told her that if you try too hard not to lose anyone you can end up losing everyone and that was the truth, Buffy knew that deep down too but she was far less comfortable with the idea. 'I wouldn't worry about it anyway Chief' Vi told Buffy, 'Gunslayers never die...' she began loudly.

'We just go to a hell dimension to regroup' at least three dozen girls in earshot chorused before laughing.

Buffy crossed her arms. 'Do you all like have a notebook with all of these slogans written down in it?' she asked.

'We try and memorise them or it looks forced' Vi answered then giggled, the sound definitely at odds with the scenery as was the fact she blushed slightly.

'So the chainmail stuff really works?' Buffy asked, picking up what looked like a T-Shirt made of steel rings. After experimenting with different types they had eventually decided that a short-sleeved so called Haubergeon type was better, sacrificing some protection for freedom of movement.

'Against claws and teeth it's great' Vi replied, 'saved a few of us when things got up close and personal with demons' she continued. 'Doesn't do anything to protect against blunt force trauma but that's not a problem for us' she noted. Being cut was a far greater threat to a slayer than being hit with something, they'd bleed to death long before you could seriously injure one with kinetic impact. 'They chafe like hell though, especially if you run any distance, so wear a decent sports bra if you put it on' she added from experience. That had been a sore and painful lesson she could have done well without Vi decided.

Buffy tested the weight, it seemed to be about thirty pounds which would have been a pain in the ass to haul around, unless you were superhuman of course. 'Stops bullets?' she asked curiously.

'Might stop a pistol shot unless you're close but rifles can shoot right through it' Vi replied with a shrug. 'When we thought we were going to be facing Wolfram Hart mercs we used to wear a trauma plate under the chain, that's a ceramic and titanium sheet over your chest' she said indicating its size on her torso, 'it was uncomfortable but beat getting shot through the heart or lungs' she said. Getting shot other places would usually heal before it killed you so it wasn't as big a deal.

'So are you sure the gas-masks work?' Buffy asked, picking one off a table and putting it over her face. The idea of wearing one for hours on end was horrific.

'Knox had to make some custom filters for it, chlorine was the first kind of poison gas used so he went back to World War One for inspiration like he did with the Bucky' she said then noting Buffy's expression decided to explain. 'It's what we've started calling the Buckingham Incendiary bullets' she told her. 'We've tested the masks and they work but the filters need changing once every two hours to be safe. You can do that when you're still wearing them you just have to be quick.'

'Quick?' Buffy repeated, narrowing her eyes.

'We tried it out in one of the cells' Vi told her. 'You'd be surprised how fast you can do it when you're surrounded by poison gas.'

'I can see that kind of motivation helping' Buffy agreed, thinking about it. 'Someone volunteer for that too?' she asked.

'I did it first then we took turns' Vi replied. 'The only tricky thing with the masks is using the drinking straws, they work but it's fiddly' she said. 'Don't worry Chief we know what we're doing, or at least we fake it so well nobody would notice the difference' she added with a smile.

Buffy nodded. 'Think I should make a speech, wish them all good luck, let them know what their job is?'

'I'll save you some time' Vi responded. 'Listen up gunslayers' she said at the top of her lungs causing the hall to go silent. 'When we get through the portal you will smash the entire area, you will kill anything with more than two legs, you get me?'

'We get you Ma'am' the girls chorused before they all started laughing.

'We all watched Starship Troopers last night' Vi told Buffy. 'Slaying guarantees citizenship' she declared.

As soon as they're through the portal I'm destroying their action and war movie DVD's Buffy decided.

**Hyperion**** Hotel – Los Angeles – ****February**** 2005**

It was a clear night and Illyria took another look at those stars that were still visible despite the light and atmospheric pollution before turning to look down at Faith who had already sprawled herself onto a blanket laid out on the roof. The slayer knew they were kept inside up near the roof access by Wesley for when he spent the night out here with Illyria and she had snagged one before joining her out here.

'You are not too cold?' Illyria inquired.

Faith grinned. 'I'm from Boston, January nights there were about thirty degrees colder than this' she noted. 'Gone soft living in Cali' she admitted, 'wearing a jacket' she said indicating her top. 'So why am I out here?' she asked.

'There are issues I wish to discuss with you and I find it easier in the open' Illyria replied. 'I am more relaxed outside as you know' she continued.

'Yeah' Faith responded with a nod. 'So what's up?' she asked, as Illyria in her human "Ria" persona wearing jeans sat down cross-legged beside her.

'I have conversed with Enyo and she is willing to start talking to you and Wesley again' Illyria began. 'It would however be a welcome olive branch of peaceful reconciliation if you were to apologise for embarrassing her in front of her father Berith as you did' she continued, 'speaking from experience, and a perspective you lack, dignity is very important to a deity.'

Faith sat up. 'I was there for _my_ daughter Rebecca, not yours and _Rebecca_ never stopped talking to me' she stated.

Illyria frowned. 'You should not differentiate them so' she said. 'Though in most ways Enyo is more mine than yours she nevertheless has a strong emotional attachment to you and it upsets her when you are estranged' she told Faith. 'As I find I regard Fred's parents as my own to some degree, so does Enyo' the God-King explained. 'That the memories are not our own changes nothing, we remain bound by them.'

Faith opened her mouth to reply then paused. 'Enyo thinks of me as her Mom too?' she asked.

'No but she loves you as if she did' Illyria replied. 'She cannot help it any more than I can help loving Wesley though the emotions are different.'

'Agape and eros' Faith responded, then half-smiled when Illyria looked at her in surprise. 'You don't think the only things Wes and I do together is screw or slay do you?' she asked rhetorically. 'We were talking about demons and he mentioned about how the Greeks said daemon instead which could be good or evil and then he said they also had different words for different kinds of love' she said. 'Makes sense, they aren't the same.'

Illyria nodded. 'Enyo loves you more than she does me' she stated, the dispassionate way she said it once again affirming to Faith how alien she was. 'Those of my clan do not have such a strong bond with their parents as you so Enyo's inherited human emotions far outweigh her ties to me' she said. 'Rebecca seems very fond of me, she said before I was like a second Mom, but you take precedence and hence you do for Enyo as well.'

'You're kidding?' Faith responded in surprise. 'There's no way I get that whenever she's driving.'

'She is not open about it' Illyria replied. 'Enyo is insecure.'

'Now I _know_ you're shitting me' Faith retorted.

Illyria shook her head. 'Enyo has but weak control of her powers, she failed in the task she was created for by being defeated by the corporeal First Evil and like myself she is burdened by feelings which are not her own and which make her uncomfortable' she explained. 'In her mind Enyo is a sorry excuse for a god and though our clans natural sense of superiority works to mitigate her nagging doubts they are still there.'

'Sounds like you understand' Faith said quietly.

'I am trapped in a shell far inferior to my natural form' Illyria replied, 'I suffer from a debilitating phobia I cannot rid myself of and I not only love a creature inferior to me in all respects, to my undying shame I cannot help but be overjoyed whenever he tells me he loves me back' the God-King continued. 'I am _also_ now a sorry excuse for a God' she declared. 'The fact I have fallen so low as to be having this conversation with the likes of you confirms it' she added.

'Ah, now the end part sounded like the demon gal I know' Faith replied with a grin which she soon replaced with a more serious expression. 'I never really thought of Enyo thinking about me that way' she said. 'Oh shit' she swore as realisation hit, 'I've been _neglecting_ her.'

'You might try thinking of them as sisters and endeavour not to favour one over the other, or at least not do so excessively' Illyria suggested. 'Enyo realises that you will find it easier to bond with Rebecca than herself but some effort on your part to at least try to achieve a rapport with her would yield considerable results.'

'They aren't _her_ feelings' Faith pointed out.

'But they feel no different than if they were' Illyria countered, 'they seem real, as does the pain when they are rejected' she said. 'Loving Wesley and knowing he did not feel the same for me left an empty void inside me which felt no less painful for all the knowledge it was nothing but a remnant of the shell causing it' Illyria told her.

Still sitting up Faith bought her knees up under her chin and hugged her legs. Subconsciously she was taking up the same posture she had as a little girl when her own mother neglected her. All she ever wanted was a little more attention that didn't involve getting beaten or screamed at. 'I'm sorry I hurt her' she said quietly, 'and you' she added awkwardly.

Still sat cross legged Illyria shrugged. 'I am mostly over my jealously and resentment of you' she said. 'Eventually I realised that you represented something to Wesley that I could not.'

'I can have his kid?' Faith suggested.

'That and you offer him the possibility of something else' Illyria replied. 'Redemption' she said. 'The opportunity to make up for his mistakes of the past, his failure with you being the most egregious in his mind and therefore the one that most requires fixing.'

Faith started to rock slightly. 'Yeah I know' she said. 'I feel the same way about him' she admitted, 'like if I can make it all better with Wes then I'm better than I used to think I was' she continued. 'I don't know if that's healthy' she pondered, probably not she decided.

'His love for you is real and it matters deeply to him that it is' Illyria replied. 'You are aware that his own psychological problems make him prone to not liking who he is?' she asked.

'Shitty childhood, I can relate pretty easily there' Faith replied. 'Get told you're worthless enough and you believe it.'

Illyria half nodded. 'Yes that is true to some extent but it goes further' she said. 'People make jokes about Wesley's sanity but the fact is that by the arbitrary standards of your race he would be considered mentally ill to some degree' she stated. 'I have done considerable research into the subject and believe that he is what is referred to as a high-functioning psychopath' Illyria continued. 'He feels less empathy with his fellow humans than is deemed normal or proper.'

Faith bridled at that. 'Wes ain't nuts' she retorted. 'And he ain't some fucking psycho that doesn't know right from wrong' she declared angrily.

'Hence he is described as "high-functioning" in that he _is_ aware' Illyria calmly replied. 'He knows the right thing to do and does it, the difference is he is able to be far more dispassionate about it' she said then paused. 'Angel once told Wesley that he's the guy that makes the hard decisions but that's not really the case, it is truer to say that making the right, though perhaps morally difficult, decisions is simply _easier_ for him' she said. 'He doesn't agonise about it as much and his logic more readily trumps his squeamishness.'

Faith blinked, that made a lot of sense when you thought about it. Wes was a ruthless bastard because he didn't feel so bad about doing nasty shit for a good reason. 'And you think Wes knows this?' she asked.

'Yes, and it bothers him' Illyria answered. 'He thinks he should feel more than he does and berates himself for not doing so, that is why when he _does_ feel strongly about someone it matters so much to him, it proves to him he's human.'

'It means he's worthwhile' Faith replied knowingly, 'shit you don't know how lucky you are always being so fucking certain you are' she told Illyria.

The God-King smiled. 'Other than a few inherited failings I am too superior to be as messed up as my Wesley and yourself' she said then laughed, causing Faith to do likewise. 'I am good for Wesley in a different way than yourself' she continued.

'Yeah?' Faith queried.

'You offer him redemption but I offer him something else' she said, 'I offer unconditional acceptance of who he is' she continued. 'The trait he dislikes in himself is one I find very attractive.'

'You_ like_ that he's ruthless bastard' Faith realised. 'He knows that.'

'What others would consider a flaw makes him a more suitable consort to myself' Illyria agreed. 'It makes my attraction to him more tolerable.'

'So the acceptance goes both ways just like the redemption thing? Faith reasoned. 'Shit, we need each other more than I thought.'

Illyria nodded. 'A degree of interdependence is acceptable within a clan' she said. 'Though an individual should be self-reliant there needs to be a collective identity and a notion of unity or else rival groups will crush you.'

'A clan?' Faith repeated uncertainly.

Illyria frowned. 'Much as referring to you as Wesley's concubine is easier to stomach than thinking of you as his other girlfriend, the notion of us being a clan is less unacceptable than the human tainted notion of "family".'

'So I guess you think of yourself as the head of this clan?' Faith asked with amusement.

'Well it sure as shit ain't no patriarchy' Illyria replied in Fred's Texan accent, and besides which, she thought to herself, I'm the least screwed up.

**Mountain Pass - Jasmine's World – February 2005**

Lara had been one of the last to go through the portal arriving between two of the last three teams to come through, each of the girls surrounding her already moving into a pre-planned defensive formation as soon as they arrived. Even unencumbered by most of the gear the other girls were carrying the witch was acutely aware of how much more easily Vi's small legion moved in their heavy chainmail armour and equipment harnesses than she did bearing only the essentials.

'We've got company to the rear' a girl announced loudly, and Lara turned to see a small number of the local demon population watching them intently. The diminutive priest known as the "Guardian of the Word" had with some pharmacological and physical encouragement given them a very good overview of the local geography and as he suggested this particular valley was largely deserted although only a mile of so from one of the more important trade routes through the jagged mountain range.

'If they get closer than two hundred yards shoot them' Vi responded, her voice muffled by her mask. 'Alright we're moving northeast' she said. 'Once we get to the trail we're going to advance towards Jasmine's Temple and blow up every bridge we cross after us and flatten any other structures we encounter' she ordered then looked around. 'This mist is going to reduce our visibility and I want you to stay alert' she continued before looking around. 'And if we all wanted to know why the bugs have a hard-on to conquer other peoples worlds I think we know the answer now' she opined. 'I wouldn't want to stay here either' she declared, looking at the bleak and jagged lifeless terrain.

Vi turned to Denise and gave her a nod. 'Gunslayer Legion' the other girl said loudly. 'Move out' she ordered and with a V-shaped skirmish line taking the lead approximately one hundred slayers and a single witch began to move up the valley ready for battle.

'I can't believe I'm on another world' Lara said wondrously to the closest girl who was carrying one of those grenade launcher things.

'Pylea was nicer' the girl replied, 'more like home, nice and green' she said. 'This place is closer to my idea of a hell dimension than that was' she said idly kicking over a small rock with her combat boot as she marched.

'One of the bugs that was watching us has run off' a girl announced.

'Warning the others' Vi reasoned. 'We'll have lots of company soon' she added.

'That's what we're here for Chief' Denise said brightly. 'Teach the bugs not to mess with the wrong species' she said raising her carbine and sighting it on one of the locals watching them from five hundred yards away or so. The telescopic sight gave her a decent magnification although they weren't sure how accurate the weapons would be at long range because the air pressure was slightly different here as well as the mix of gasses that made it up.

Lara remembered the speech Vi had given before they set out through the portal. One part had stuck with her about the difference between a slayer and a gunslayer, it wasn't just that the latter carried firearms as their primary weapons it was a deeper philosophical division that increasingly divided them. In some ways slayers were like a shield that protected humanity from all the nasty things out there that might harm them, the problem was that this was primarily, if not always, a reactive defensive mindset which wasn't always what you needed. Sometimes you had to be aggressively _pro_active and that was the role that Vi and her gunslayers had taken on, slayers held back the darkness back home but these girls took the fight to the enemies turf, if slayers were humanities shield Vi had said, then the gunslayers were humanities _sword_.

'Okay so if we're trying to get attention let's do it right' Vi declared, grinning behind her mask before taking a 40mm grenade from a loop on her equipment harness and loading it into the launcher under her carbine barrel.

Vi aimed the weapon straight up and fired the launcher. The grenade hurtled upwards but instead of being filled with explosive it was actually a bright white parachute flare which burst into life hundreds of feet up in the sky and began to slowly drift back down to the ground hanging from its tiny chute. 'Okay I think every bug for miles will have seen that' Vi declared. 'Now let's let them know who's come a calling' she said. 'Unfurl the colours' she ordered.

The very youngest girl in the group had been assigned a very special job. Her own carbine shouldered by its strap she was carrying a carbon fibre pole with a flag wrapped around it which she let unfurl by untying a knotted ribbon which was holding binding it. As soon as she did a gust of wind caught the cloth and the flag started to wave in the breeze as they moved, the crossed scythes and Fairbairn-Sykes fighting-knife motif casting a shadow on the ground as the flare slowly descended.

Get used to seeing that flag in your nightmares buggy-wuggies Vi thought to herself as they marched, because Buffy unsheathed the sword and you won't like the hot lead that comes with the cold steel.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_This fanfic runs on reviews._

_The next chapter will likely be much appreciated by any fans of my action writing ;-)_


	26. Chapter 26

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****TWENTY****-****SIX**

**Mountain Pass - Jasmine's World – February 2005**

Lara found herself marching, or in her case she still preferred to think of it as _walking_, between two gunslayers as they made their way along the pass. She was making no attempt to keep in stepand this in itself was annoying them although it didn't prevent them from having a conversation across her, their voices muffled by their respirators.

'I know it sounds great in principle, but from what I've heard Bucky is really inaccurate' one remarked to the other, 'I mean I like the idea of putting the hurt on the vamps but I also liked being able to hit something at more than two hundred yards if I had to.'

'Even if you could they're less effective the longer they've travelled because they've used up more of the phosphor' the other girl noted.

'Yeah' the first girl agreed glumly, 'hey did you hear that fire and ice idea?' she asked.

'No' the second replied.

'I think it sounds good, one of the chicks in Jailbait's team had the idea that if you took a empty copper jacket from a 6.5 millimetre, poured some water in instead of lead and froze it you could fire them' she said.

'Well what the hell kind of good is _that_?' the second girl asked.

'_Holy Water_ you idiot' the first girl told her. 'When the bullet hits the jacket comes apart and the vamps got a little chunk of the stuff burning out his guts' she said. 'It would take a while, because you know, vamps are cold, but they're not below freezing so it would melt.'

'That's _brilliant_' the second girl exclaimed, 'why didn't I think of that?' she wondered aloud. 'Hey "fire and ice", I get it, Bucky Incendiaries and Holy Water Ice Bullets.'

'Mass' Lara interjected.

'You mean we'd need to hold a Catholic Mass to bless the Holy Water?' one of the girls asked.

'No I mean they put lead in bullets because it's got lots of mass for its volume, it's _heavy_' Lara told them, 'lead has more mass than other metals that's why the use it in bullets and even _light_ metals like aluminium sink in water' she continued. 'Ice _floats_ on water so it won't make very good bullets for long range, not enough inertia.'

'How do you know so much about bullets?' the first girl asked in surprise.

'I don't, I know _physics_' Lara replied. 'Just because I'm a witch doesn't mean I don't know any science' she said. 'You can use the magicks to _bend_ the laws of physics sometimes but you can't break them completely so it's worth knowing your limits' she told them.

'I love how you say "aluminium" instead of "aluminum" it's quaint' one of the girls told Lara.

'It's the correct pronunciation and spelling, it used to be the main one in America too' Lara replied. 'For some reason you Yanks lost the ability to spell it at some point' she said smugly. 'While we're at it that thing hanging off your backpack is a battle _axe_ with an e on the end.'

'At least I don't sound like a pirate' one of the girls said laughing.

'I _don't_ sound like a pirate and if I find out who's idea it was to give me a cutlass I'm going to turn them into a frog' Lara declared. 'Wow that's a view' she said as they reached the end of the pass.

It certainly couldn't be called a pleasant panorama, unless vicious jagged peaks jutting out from barren valleys filled with dank mist was your idea of home, but it was certainly impressive. Some of the girls were taking photographs with digital cameras, while others made derogatory remarks about the local geography and said it explained why the bugs wanted to conquer more hospitable dimensions.

'That must be Jasmine's Temple' one of the girls said, pointing off into the distance to an ugly stone monument on top of the tallest peak in the area. 'Guess we're in the right place' she added.

Vi shouldered her rifle and raised a set of heavy binoculars that gave better magnification than the telescopic sight on her G-36K. 'Looks like it' she agreed then panned around. 'That must be the main road' she said looking at a worn stone path which wound it way through the area, bridging chasms with aging stonework arches and occasionally meeting other trails that criss-crossed the region.

'If Jasmine's Temple is here does that mean _this_ is the best spot on the whole damn planet?' a girl queried, looking around.

'No, the temple's here because this is where the major trade-routes across the continent cross this range of mountains' another replied. 'Don't you read the mission briefings?' she asked.

'I skimmed it' the girl replied defensively.

'Three pages was too much for you was it?' a third asked sarcastically. 'This range runs down the continent from the North to the South like a spine' she said. 'There's deserts to the west and east where the sand's black and most of the bugs live underground' she said.

'What the hell do they find to eat' the girl who hadn't read the briefing asked.

'Big burrowing rodents' the sarcastic geography expert replied. 'That's why they call us "furries" because we're mammals like their food' she said. 'I think those flares worked' she said bringing up her carbine as a large number of the local demon population began to build up on the gentle slope that now lay between them and the trail below. They were better than three hundred metres away which they probably thought was out of range being badly mistaken about the capability of human weaponry.

'I think that one wants to parlay' Lara opined, instantly regretting her choice of words as one of the bugs left the group and began to move slowly towards them, it's clawed upper-torso limbs spread wide in what approximated a peaceful stance.

'Tell them we're disinclined to acquiesce to their request' one of the girls joked setting off some laughter although Lara muttered darkly behind her gas mask.

'Jailbait, go ask what he wants' Vi ordered. 'Rika, if he makes a false move blow him to the bug afterlife' she continued.

Resting the stock of her light machinegun on her hip, barrel pointed upwards and one hand on the grip Charlotte gently trotted down the slope towards the apparent bug emissary whileRika the South African Slayer unfolded the bipod on her oversized XM-109 sniper rifle and took up a prone position lying on the ground. If anything happened a 25 millimetre high-explosive projectile would ensure the bugs day wasn't a good one.

'I hope you speak English because I don't talk cockroach' Charlotte told the insectoid demon when she arrived, stopping twenty yards away the two meeting roughly halfway between their respective groups.

'I know your speech' the bug replied in an oddly pitched, slightly slurred voice. 'Prophet taught me, said we would meet your kind' he said. 'You are not a dead thing like those that defiled the Temple of the Great Devourer' he stated.

'Nope. I'm not a vampire I'm a human' Charlotte replied. 'Mostly human anyway, I'm a slayer.'

'I smell the demon on you' the bug told her.

'The rest is _Beyond Paradise_ from Estée Lauder' Charlotte informed the demon. 'So what the fuck do you want?' she asked.

'Why are you here?' the demon asked.

Charlotte pursed her lips behind her mask. 'The "dead things" we sent last time didn't defile your temple enough last time so we thought we'd better come back to finish the job properly' she said. 'Oh yeah and you've been invading other worlds, knock it off or we'll kick your ass' she told it.

The demon hissed and emitted a series of loud clicks, Charlotte was willing to bet that meant it was pissed, eventually it returned to English. 'We serve the Devourer, we loved her first' it said.

'I don't give a shit if you want to _go down_ on her as long as you only do it _here_' Charlotte retorted, 'stay at home' she told it coldly.

'She did not return so this world must be unworthy' the bug told her, fortunately it had no idea just how insulting the girl had just been. 'We must find her a new and worthy realm to rule.'

Charlotte sighed. 'Not happening' she said simply. 'Now either get out of the way or try to stop us.'

The demon bared its teeth as a warning, causing Charlotte to look into his mouth with interest. 'There a few girls that'll be adding those incisors to their necklaces before the days out' she told the demon. 'I'm just fucking grateful the mask is keeping out your bad breath' she continued, 'there's a bit of fur stuck in there and its gross' she told it. 'Try using floss' she advised.

'You are unworthy to follow her, you are good for nothing but food' the demon declared.

'Eat me' Charlotte told it with amusement. 'Run along back to your buggy friends' she told it, the demon hissing and clicking one more time before it walked backwards a few paces, turned and began running towards its compatriots.

Watching through the binoculars Vi nodded. 'Yep that worked perfectly' she said. 'I'm no expert on bug body language but I'm guessing we're about to get into a fight' she said as Charlotte jogged back towards them.

'That's what you wanted?' Lara asked.

'Why the hell do you think I sent Jailbait?' Vi asked rhetorically. 'That girl could piss off Gandhi if she was trying to pick a fight' she said. 'Can't send a message without something to communicate it with' she explained. 'We're writing in bug blood today girls.'

'It makes the grass grow' one commented. 'Well maybe the lichen' she corrected herself looking down at the barren soil and rocks.

'Teams one through seven form a double rank at the head of the pass' Vi ordered loudly. 'Open fire at my command' she said. 'Remaining squads secure the flanks and rear' she continued.

Lara watched the gunslayers smoothly move into formation, the first sixty or so girls lining up like something from the Napoleonic Wars, girls kneeling a yard apart carbine to their shoulders, and a second line standing in the gap a pace behind.

Charlotte arrived before the bugs started to rush towards them running through the line, a girl stepping aside to let her through. 'Thanks Jailbait' one said to her sardonically as she arrived.

'You're welcome' Charlotte replied, grinning behind her mask.

'At my command both ranks fire at will' Vi ordered as the demons ran towards them, a mass of teeth, claws and fury. '... FIRE!' she bellowed.

Lara put her hands over her ears and wished she could bring herself to close her eyes too as the slaughter began.

**Shadow Valley – California – February 2005**

'Stun-grenades?' Xander repeated, looking at Fred and Willow quizzically. 'I thought we already had stun-grenades' he continued. 'One's that go flash-bang and those Neural-Shock things.'

'Not "stun" Xander' Willow responded, '"Sun" as in the big bright thing in the sky we could see if we weren't in a bunker under the ground' she said, looking around the war room. 'Maybe we should come up with a less confusing name?' she considered.

'Helios Grenades' Fred suggested, 'he was the sun god.'

'Good idea Fred!' Willow replied brightly.

Buffy waved her hand in the air. 'You still haven't explained what you're talking about' she said.

'Oh right' Willow responded, blushing slightly. Fred looking slightly embarrassed too. 'Do you remember years ago when Tara and I were working on a simulated sunlight spell?' she asked. 'Little sun, vampires go poof?'

'Vaguely' Buffy replied. Inwardly she was pleased that Willow could say Tara's name now without becoming sad and misty-eyed, time was a great healer.

'I remember it went wrong and the ex-boyfriend I turned into a troll appeared and smashed up the Magic Shop' Anya said. 'This isn't going to result in me meeting more of my ex-boyfriends is it because they weren't all as cuddly as Olaf was' she told them

'No it'll be fine' Willow replied, 'All the kinks worked out of that one, there was a working version in my spellbook Enyo bought back from the future' Willow said. 'It only lasts for seconds but it works and no inadvertent trollage' she reassured them.

'And well, so we thought, sun spell, techno-mystical grenade...' Fred continued.

'Sun grenade' they said together.

'So you like pull the pin, throw it and vamps go dusty?' Xander asked.

'Yup' Willow said with a grin. 'Pull the pin, count to five and it's bye bye to the Count' she joked. 'Or are you still calling him Master?' she asked with a giggle.

'That was nothing but a phase I grew out of' Xander replied, 'and I'm totally over the bug eating too' he added.

'I wouldn't mind him reappearing' Anya announced, 'he was cool.'

'He was ambient temperature like every other vampire' Buffy pointed out.

'It was cool to meet him though' Willow opined.

'He's dust in the wind now' Xander said.

'He always comes back' Buffy said sadly. 'I staked him and he reformed just like the movies' she told Fred.

'You staked Dracula?' Fred asked incredulously, 'the real Dracula.'

'In the pale clammy flesh' Buffy confirmed.

'He's real?' Fred queried. 'Wow!'

'Ask Spike about him when you fly back to LA' Buffy advised. 'He'll say something about Dracula owing ten pounds and give you a bitter story about it and he might moan about the fact that because the Count collaborated with Bram Stoker on the book everyone knows how to kill vampires these days' she said. 'Um... he might miss out one of the vowels in "Count" when he says it' she added.

'Are these going to be expensive to make because wooden stakes are cheap and reusable' Anya stated.

'They'll cost the same as our Neural-Shock Grenades, it's the same casing just a different spell contained inside' Fred replied.

'So the answer's yes' Anya replied. 'You know the unit cost would go down if we mass-produced them' she said.

'You can mass-produce the grenades but not the spells' Willow replied. 'It's like hand-crafting each one, magic is an art not a science.'

'Throwing Picasso's at the enemy is bad value for money' Anya opined. 'Are we going to see these for the mortar's too because those techno-mystical mortar bombs cost hundreds of dollars each' she said. 'And those gunslayers would fire them off like cherry-bombs if I didn't keep a close eye on their equipment budget' she continued. 'White Phosphorus works very well on vampires and the unit cost is a fraction of the flashy magic stuff' she noted.

'We can't go chucking incendiary grenades around in normal situations like on patrol in a town' Willow countered. 'The worst collateral damage from a Sun, I mean _Helios_ Grenade is mild sunburn' she said.

'What's the... I want to say blast radius but it doesn't fit' Xander said, 'on those things?'

'Say ten yards for dust, twenty yards for a very nasty case of burned and smoking vamp in much pain' Willow replied.

'And you could just drop it at your feet and it wouldn't hurt you when it went off?' Buffy verified. 'I mean we could issue it with a tube of sunblock.'

'More expense' Anya complained. 'We'll I'm only signing off on generic brands' she declared sternly.

'Have we got any other secret weapons under development?' Xander asked. 'I'm so itching for a ray-gun' he said.

'No ray-guns but Knox is working on a TS-113 Sniper Rifle that uses a Balantine energy charge instead of ammunition' Fred replied. 'It can't rapid fire but it'll work against mystical forcefields better than a piece of lead would' she told them.

'It's an exciting time to be a slayer' Buffy declared. 'Weird, confusing and all too apocalyptic... but exciting nevertheless.'

'Wait until we figure out those jet-packs that Warren guy designed' Fred told her. 'Woosh' she added putting her arms out straight in front of her like superman.'

'Or the Orbs of Nezzla'khan that make a normal super strong and invulnerable' Willow added.

'I like the field dressings with synthetic Mohra demon blood on them that'll heal the wound underneath' Fred replied.

**Mountain Trail**** - Jasmine's World – February 2005**

'Are you having fun gunslayer?' Vi yelled out over the sound of gunfire, not counting skirmishes this was the third major battle they'd fought and it was going even better than the first two so far, the trail of demon corpses stretched back five miles all the wall to the pass where they'd arrived four hours ago.

'It's fucking beautiful Ma'am' a girl exclaimed, firing a light-machinegun from the shoulder as they started to advance again.

'Maintain fire discipline and don't waste ammunition' Vi told her. 'That goes for everybody' she added, bringing up her carbine and dropping a demon that was a hundred yards way, limping towards them one leg already blown off by a grenade. You had to give it to them they were determined buggy bastards Vi thought.

The first engagement at the head of the pass had been a complete slaughter as the demons simply charged down the guns and were simply mowed down in their hundreds, none getting closer than a hundred yards. Since then the bugs had shown more resoect for their unwelcome visitors and had attempted ambush and hitting from several directions at once but none of it was a match for Vi's merry band of maniacs with their speed, slayer enhanced reflexes, combat experience and of course massed automatic fire.

'Rika' a girl screamed, 'officer on that hill top' she said, pointing with her rifle towards a small rise between the trail and the next mountain.

'Got it' the South African slayer replied. 'You' she said to Lara, come here' she ordered the witch who was simply standing around still horrified by the sight of the gunslayers all around, clinically gunning down the demons pouring from all directions.

'Why?' Lara yelled back.

'Just do it' Rika growled running to meet her half way. 'Now stand still and think like a bipod' she told her resting the barrel of her XM-109 rifle against Lara's shoulder. 'I need the elevation' she explained. 'I said stand still' she ordered, squatting down slightly as Lara shuffled slightly.

'You're not serious' Lara asked as Rika lined up her shot.

'Shut up and don't breath' Rika told her, taking aim, it was barely a kilometre she thought to herself sadly, starting to squeeze the trigger.

Lara wondered how loud this was going to be when she found out. The report of the 25 millimetre weapon easily drowned out the sound of the other rifles especially when it was fired next to your head.

Technically a cannon because of its calibre Rika's XM-109 thundered and shortly afterwards the demon insect which had apparently directing its brethren from a vantage point above the fighting was blown in half by a projectile you could use against an armoured car.

'I'm deaf' Lara moaned as Rika hauled her cannon away again, looking for something else worth firing at.

'That sucks because you can't lip-read wearing these masks' one of the other girls observed as she changed a magazine on her carbine. 'Bugs three O'Clock' she warned bringing up her weapon, chambering a round and then firing a series of short bursts to break up small group of twenty or so of the creatures.

'Start moving towards the bridge, as soon as we're over blow it with a satchel charge' Vi ordered, indicating the expansive stone arch which spanned the fog filled chasm ahead of them.

'There's bugs on the bridge' a girl yelled back.

'Put some Willie-Pete down on there, that'll clear them out' Vi responded.

A girl raised her six-barrelled grenade launcher and fired a ranging shot which landed at the closest end of the bridge before she fired three more dropping them on top of the demons. The incendiary grenades detonated in a flash of fire and demon screams as burning metal flared and scorched, burning through hardened exoskeletons easily and searing the flesh beneath. The smell would have been appalling if not for the masks, as it was Lara was glad she couldn't hear the demons howls and clicks of agony.

We're going to run out of ammunition before we get to Jasmine's Temple, Vi thought to herself, oh what the hell they needed more sword practice anyway she decided and she was willing to put slayer scythes and enchanted short-swords up against bug teeth and claws any day. 'Jailbait, put fire down to support the left flank' she ordered.

The ringing in Lara's ears finally went away and she immediately wished it hadn't, in some ways it had been a blessed relief for one of her senses to have stopped working briefly she thought watching Charlotte, the mouthy one they called "Jailbait", turn and fire a long burst of ammunition to allow one of the teams to move towards the bridge. The demons had leaned enough about bullets by now to duck or scatter when they were fired at so what the girls called "suppressive fire" worked.

'These guys are smarter than most of the things we fought in Pylea' a girl near Lara who was reloading a grenade launcher told her. 'I love killing demons worth killing' she said enthusiastically, snapping the breach closed again and firing a fragmentation grenade into the midst of the enemy.

They're insane, Lara decided reasonably. No wait, I volunteered to come here with them, _I'm_ insane she concluded. Moving towards the bridge as the mobile demon-slaying buzzsaw that was a hundred gunslayers ripped its way across another hell dimension.

Two hours later they were formed up in a square fighting hand to hand, or rather sword to claw with a teeming host of demonic Jasmine worshippers and Lara discovered some of exactly why they were the way they were. She was terrified, her subconscious was screaming at her to obey the fight or flight reflex but there was nowhere to run. Vi was saving the last of the ammunition and grenades to cover their retreat through the portal back home but she wanted to kill a few more hundred demons before they left, she wanted to make as big an impression on the locals as she could.

A little switch tripped in the young witches mind as self-preservation became all-important, fight or flight and running wasn't going to be an option. She screamed held out her hands palms upwards and began calling on every deity and power she could think of, good or evil no matter, get me the fuck out of this and I'll add you to my list of gods I pray to, her mind screamed into the multiverse. She mouthed the spells Willow had taught her and ignored the advice not to push the magicks too far for fear of losing herself. Why worry about losing yourself though? Lara would have rather been _anywhere_ than the place she was right now.

Balls of flaming mystical energy formed in her hands, growing in size and intensity into miniature infernos, behind the lenses of her gas mask her eyes misted over becoming jet black as dark magicks coursed through her veins and leaked through into her aura. The dank mists which had obscured her vision seemed to vanish as she saw the world with a new clarity. 'What makes the grass grow?' she said rhetorically to herself as she launched a fireball in an arc that sailed over the heads of the gunslayers and landed in the midst of the bug horde, her second fireball incinerated another group as she generated more.

Vi spun around and looked at Lara, the visible skin on her hands had gone pale with dark veins tracing across them. 'Good girl' Vi shouted to her.

'Putting the bitch in witch' Lara yelled back, firing another two fireballs one after the other, she felt amazing, powerful. She could see why this was addictive, she could see why it took so much effort to bring Willow back from the brink. What a fucking wimp, she thought, 'Kill 'em all' she screamed.

Vi breathed an inward sigh of relief, she had worried that Lara was irredeemable but she was shaping up nicely now, making a mental note to shoot or beat her unconscious later if necessary the Chief Gunslayer went back to swinging her scythe, effortlessly cleaving a demon in two as she helped bolster her part of the line.

They'd come back tomorrow and blow up that damn temple, she decided.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_Sorry for the delay in updating... hope it was worth the wait._

_With this chapter the Compelled Series just passed the half-million words mark incidentally. I consider that a decent milestone :-) _


	27. Chapter 27

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****TWENTY****-****SEVEN**

**Shadow Valley – California – ****March**** 2005**

Vi looked across the dining table moving from face to face, they all looked like they wanted to ask something but couldn't fight the right words, eventually she couldn't stand it any longer and swallowed her mouthful of hash browns. 'What?' she asked, wondering if they were still annoyed she had only returned to Jasmines world with an elite strike team the next day to finish the job of destroying her temple rather than bring back the whole group. The bugs had seemed surprised anyway by their reappearance, they probably though that they'd driven off the invader, and were surely propagandising it that way, but less than twenty-four hours after the gunslayers portalled out they came back, arriving much closer to their intended destination this time, scaled the cliff and blew the temple to rubble with satchels full of plastic explosives.

Two of the girls looked at each other. 'Well it's like this Chief...' one began then paused nervously.

'We all know you're screwing Silent Bob' Charlotte interrupted from further down the table, 'and a few of the girls were wondering if everything is to scale' she said, reaching for the orange juice.

Vi flushed bright red and her jaw dropped so it was a good thing she hadn't replaced the hash browns yet. Janko, who was now very much her boyfriend, and his more typically sized friend Ashton were currently off investigating an anonymous report of a new slayer somewhere in Haiti. Since they both spoke French it was as good a job for them as any especially given that they might attract rather less attention that a bunch of teenage girls.

'Umm, yeah' one of the others said. 'I mean he's like twelve feet tall so he's hung like Godzilla right?' she asked awkwardly.

Buffy had been walking past carrying her own breakfast tray and stopped dead in her tracks upon overhearing the conversation, oh my god, she thought, we've created a girly Dirty-Dozen only with more profanity. 'How _old_ are you?' she asked the girl who had made the Godzilla comment.

'Fifteen Slayer-Chef' the girl replied confused.

Buffy groaned, _fifteen_ for God's sake, she must be one of the new intake of gunslayers that had bought the number up to the agreed maximum of two hundred. 'Vi can we talk in my office later?' she requested, they definitely needed to have words.

'I'll drop in after our training run' Vi confirmed, grateful for the interruption. In action she could scream orders, swear like a teamster and gun down and eviscerate untold hordes of demons but someone she was still easily flustered by being asked a direct question like that. According to one description she was like a sweet, shy Atilla the Hun in a khaki woollen hat.

'You do that' Buffy told her and moved on.

'So what about Merczilla?' another girl asked Vi curiously. 'Inquiring minds want to know' she said.

Vi closed her eyes then re-opened them after a few seconds. 'That's none of your business' she stated eventually.

'Sorry Chief' the girl apologised, 'well it's just we figure you can't be spending all that time in each others rooms_ talking_ because he's even more quiet than you are' she noted.

Vi blushed again but then couldn't help but smile. 'Jan is _very_ talkative' she declared, 'he just needs the right motivation' she told them slyly.

'You know it's the quiet types that are at it like rabbits' Denise declared loudly, joining in the conversation. 'Jailbait talks about it all the time and you _know_ she's never got any' she said grinning.

'Shut up' Charlotte responded, glaring at her.

'Being a virgin is something you should be proud of' another of the new intake opined. 'That's how I was raised to think' she added.

'She doesn't drink or swear either' of the girls sat next to her interjected.

'Shit they're letting anyone into the team these days' Charlotte responded sadly. 'Standards have fallen through the floor' she opined.

Now sat at her own table at the head of the dining room with her friends Buffy faced her scrambled eggs with distaste. 'I still miss how Andrew made these' she said, 'fluffy and just how I liked them' she said, poking at the eggs with her fork. The problem with the girls taking it in turns to man the kitchen was that some of them couldn't cook an edible meal to save their lives.

'You agreed he could be a field watcher instead of returning to his life as a chef, slayer-chef' Willow replied with a smile.

'I'm starting to dislike the Slayer-Chef thing' Buffy told her. 'They say it with a touch of insolence now I can tell' she said. 'Even Ma'am might be better and I hate being called that' she said.

'Insolence?' Xander queried, helping himself to Buffy's scrambled eggs if she wasn't going to eat them. Anya sat to his other side took the opportunity to snatch one of his pancakes before returning to the accounting file she was reading.

'The gunslayers' Buffy explained, 'they've always given off this vibe but it's getting worse.'

'I call it a "we blow more holes in things than thou" attitude' Willow told her with a chuckle.

'Good one Will' Xander replied, 'didn't pick up any bacon?' he asked, looking at her tray.

'I'm _Jewish_ Xander' Willow pointed out.

'Yes but if you don't pick up your share I don't get to eat it' Xander told her, 'the line for breakfast is half way back to the door, by the time I queued for seconds I'll be late to teach shop' he said.

'You can have mine sweetie' Anya told him, looking up from her file.

'Filled up on pancakes?' Xander asked in amusement, 'remember that in _this_ timeline I _have_ peripheral vision' he said.

'And in the timeline where you _didn't_ I was dead by now and in no position to take your pancakes' Anya noted. 'Which you put too much maple syrup on' she complained sipping at a cup of coffee.

'That a complaint about the taste or the high cost of maple syrup?' Buffy asked.

'Both' Anya replied, 'Maple syrup doesn't grow on...' she began then stopped realising what she was about to say, 'well it's not _free_ and it's another overhead' she pointed out.

'The ever alert guardian of the slayer finances' Willow observed, 'always ready to help vanquish evil with the mighty force of her spreadsheets and the unstoppable red ink of her pen as she vetoes another budget request.'

'Every penny we save is another penny working for us on the stockmarket' Anya retorted, 'financial security for Slayercorp means physical security for the world' she declared haughtily. 'As Illyria says, amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics' she said.

'I'm pretty sure she copied that from somebody else' Xander told her.

'She might have said it first hundreds of millions of years ago for all _you_ know Xander Harris' Anya replied, returning to reading her file.

'My girl' Xander said happily, 'she's beautiful when she's accounting' he joked.

'Awww sweet' Willow said, 'no not just you and Anya' she said pointing across the room to where Stirling was pulling out a chair for Medousa to sit down on. She did so then apparently told him to bend down so she could kiss him on the cheek. 'They reached an understanding' she said. 'She tolerates him opening doors for her and stuff, and he accepts public displays of affection' she explained. 'That way they're _both_ annoyed and it's fair' she said.

'He's going parachuting tomorrow' Buffy said, 'she tried to get Giles to talk him out of it because, and I quote, "the silly old fool is trying to get himself killed again", I think it was' she told them.

'He's not in bad shape for a guy in his eighties but she's got a point' Xander had to agree. 'Giles washed out then?' he asked.

Buffy laughed, Giles had told her the full story. 'He told Stirling it wasn't perhaps wise for him to be jumping out of planes with young people and Stirling replied that he was the most experienced parachutist there, it wasn't like anybody was going to be shooting at him during the process and if they _were_ it wouldn't be the first time, and _then_ he said John Glenn was nearly his age when NASA put him into space so if some bloody old yank can be put into orbit then an old bloody-minded Englishman can jump out of an airplane' she said grinning.

'I bet Medousa _loved_ going to Giles for help' Willow opined with amusement.

'He's turned into an octogenarian danger junkie' Xander joked, 'he'll be BASE Jumping next' he said, 'or maybe he'll take up snowboarding down near-vertical cliffs.'

'It's not like risking his life is that much risk' Anya opined, 'he can't have too much of it left anyway' she noted realistically, and of course as bluntly as ever.

'So anyone else considering the parachute thing?' Xander asked.

'I can fly' Willow replied, 'it doesn't hold the same interest' she said with a shrug.

'I'm sane' Buffy noted of herself.

'I'm mortal now and plan to live at least a few more decades' Anya told him, 'in my demon days I might have given it a try but I'm more splattable now' she said. 'And you're not doing it either because I plan _you_ to be around for those decades too' she added. 'I'd be lonely' she said. 'Until I found another guy anyway' she told him.

'So how's Lara?' Buffy asked.

'Going cold turkey from the magicks' Willow replied, 'I complained to Vi that I only loaned her a witch and didn't expect to her back broken after one mission' she said. 'Guess what Vi said back to me.'

'Surprise me' Buffy responded.

'She said you've got to break the rookies down so you can build them back up to how you want them' Willow told her looking none too pleased about it.

Buffy frowned, she'd better broach that one with Vi too when they met later.

**Hyperion**** Hotel – Los Angeles – March 2005**

Wesley walked into the Conference Room causing Illyria and Enyo to look up from the mass of charts, maps and documents spread all over the large table in the centre. 'Spike said you were in here plotting world domination' he deadpanned, looking over the papers. 'That isn't an invasion map of Poland I can see in there is it?' he asked.

'That's Pylea Dad' Enyo responded, 'after getting the news that there are Scourge Forces present on that world Mother and I thought it best to re-visit the war-plans we have in case of invasion from the South' she said.

Illyria nodded. 'The Pylean Defence Forces are stronger than they were but we cannot so easily deploy slayer-reinforcements as we could before due to the threat presented by the Jasmine Loyalists' she said. 'We should however be able to submit a recommended set of revised strategies to Cordelia along with the next supply shipment to Pylea' she said. 'This will of course mean we will be working on this overnight also' she noted. 'Faith will likely use the opportunity to drag you out to a seedy bar or nightclub.'

Please let it be a bar, Wesley thought to himself, he very much enjoyed a drink but going dancing with Faith was bad for both of them. She was so good at it she made him look even worse, if that were possible, and conversely he couldn't help but suspect he embarrassed her. 'So no family dinner tonight?' he asked.

'That is still going ahead' Illyria told him, 'I have booked a table for Eight O'clock and expect you to look presentable.'

'At least she doesn't try and pick out your clothes Dad' Enyo told him, noting the flash of objection of Wesley's face when told what to do. 'Expect Mom to be wearing something low-cut' she continued, 'Mother asked that she tried to dress conservatively because it was a nice restaurant we're going too' she said, 'she didn't phrase it _that_ diplomatically though' she added.

'If you were truly a master-strategist you would have told her to dress like a tramp and let reverse psychology take care of the problem' Wesley observed wryly.

'Unfortunately Faith is too intelligent not to see through such a transparent ploy' Illyria replied. 'And if you doubt my strategic genius perhaps you would care to play chess' she asked, sounding more than slightly annoyed at the implication that she _wasn't_ the greatest natural-born, or hell-spawned, leader and tactician that had walked the Earth since Alexander.

'Better bow out gracefully Dad' Enyo advised, despite the frigid tone of her voice she nevertheless still someone managed to sound both amused at his predicament and with affection for him.

'I surrender' Wesley responded, taking the safe advise and raising his hands. 'Or should that be I concede?' he asked.

'Either will suffice as long as you also apologise for the slight' Illyria told him with a glare.

'I'm very sorry for denigrating your strategising abilities My Love' Wesley told the Old One sweetly.

'We will speak no more of it' Illyria told him, then pointed at a location on the map, turning to address Enyo. 'If the Third Battalion is dug in here they can easily hold out for many weeks and prevent the invader securing the main supply route they will need to maintain an offensive' she said. 'It would mean a withdrawal from the border but it puts them in a far better position' she stated.

Enyo looked over the map. 'A fighting retreat by the Fourth Battalion from here to here would screen the Third Battalions redeployment' she suggested, indicating two other points on the map. 'They could not simply bypass the Fourth because if they did the PDF would hit them in the flank and split their main drive in two' she said.

'Your plan is based upon the premise that the Fourth is not smashed aside at the start of the enemy attack' Illyria pointed out. 'Given their current deployment if you were your Father Berith would you not dispatch at least five legions of your best troops against them?' she asked rhetorically.

'The success of_ that_ opening gambit is entirely based on the assumption that they could bridge the river in enough places to arrive at better than a piecemeal rate' Enyo replied. 'All the bridges are rigged with demolition charges and the fords are mined and protected by layered barbed wire and entrenchments on our side of the bank' she pointed out. 'They'll have to grind their way through.'

'Possibly but it would be better to have two different plans with a second based upon the scenario where the Fourth does _not_ hold' Illyria contended. 'The training battalion based here could be thrown at the enemy to delay the advance' she said, indicating the position on the map where the PDF trained its new recruits.

'Throwing untrained cannon fodder into the fray Mother?' Enyo questioned.

'To save the lives of more valuable veteran soldiers Daughter' Illyria replied. 'It is easier to replace the former than the latter' she noted.

'Of course' Enyo agreed. 'I was not denying the validity of the tactic in the circumstances however I would hope that we could use them to shore up other units and test them under fire with more disciplined seasoned troops rather than waste them as a pawn sacrifice.'

'Hope for the best, plan for the worst' Illyria told her. 'I am gratified that you are demonstrating a flair for the family business' she added happily.

'Illyria and Daughter, Freelance Conquerors, Established 2004' Wesley deadpanned. 'Hell-Dimensions a specialty' he continued, 'Call 1-800-MAYHEM to speak to our friendly staff of battle-hardened combat enthusiasts, remember our special offer for first time apocalypses, this epoch only.'

The two demon gods looked at him askance. 'You're _so_ embarrassing when you're trying to be funny sometimes Dad' Enyo told him. '_Please_ don't show me and Rebecca up in the restaurant' she requested.

'If I had a _son_ I bet _he'd_ appreciate my humour' Wesley replied.

'Keep telling yourself that Wesley and if Faith ever obliges I'll remind you of this conversation the first time _he_ says you embarrass him' Illyria replied. 'Which is inevitable' she declared with certainty.

'My loving supportive family' Wesley said sardonically, holding out his arms in a sweeping arc to virtually embrace them all.

Enyo felt guilty. 'If anyone _else_ says bad things about you I'll rip their entrails out' she offered by way of placation.

'Definitely your Mother's daughter' Wesley told her with a smile and moved over to kiss her on the forehead.

**The Cotswolds – Gloucestershire – March 2005**

'Anniversary?' Drogyn queried.

'It's been a year since we met' Molly reminded him, looking down into the Deeper Well, no matter how many times she came here it still chilled her to the bone, all those ancient powerful demons, bound and sealed for eternity down there, she thought subconsciously reaching for her scythe which she was carrying in a custom made scabbard fixed to the backpack she had on. 'I parked up a few miles away and hiked here for a surprise visit' she told him. 'I've got a picnic in the bag' she added brightly.

'I cannot leave the Well at such short notice' Drogyn protested.

'Oh come off it' Molly responded, 'the guards aren't anywhere near as unruly as you make out they are' she said waving to one of the demons that protected the well, the hulking demon waving back.

'They are not so well behaved when you are not here trust me' Drogyn replied. 'And you know I cannot lie' he added.

'I bought Natasha along to watch the place' Molly told him, indicating the other girl who was talking to one of the guards, showing off her own slayer scythe which she hadn't been issued yet the last time she came here. The guard demons appreciated a powerful weapon although Drogyn had told her the other ones imprisoned within the Well were less than happy at the effect having two of the things so close was having on their usually more peaceful eternal rest. After many years here as the Warden of a supernatural prison Drogyn could sense the auras of his unwilling "guests" and they were not enthused about slayer scythes in the least since they were the only physical weapon that could kill or injure any demon of any power. 'I bought a blanket with me' she told him. 'We can find a nice glade in the forest, have lunch and fool around' she said enticingly.

'My Lady you know I have no intention of doing that until we are wed' Drogyn replied.

'I meant kissing and stuff not sex' Molly told him with a laugh. 'And I'm too young to get married' she added.

'You would be considered practically an Old Maid in my day' Drogyn countered.

'When average life expectancy was _how_ long?' Molly asked rhetorically. 'Why are you in a hurry anyway?' she asked. 'You're immortal.'

'You're not' Drogyn reminded her. 'I have outlived several wives and would have wished to have spent more time with each one' he said regretfully.

'So spend some time with me now' Molly told him. 'I bought cucumber sandwiches and a bottle of Cream Soda' she told him.

'I like Cream Soda' Drogyn conceded, 'but of course the kissing was a far better enticement' he added chivalrously, which of course he would since he was an actual living, breathing relic of the age of chivalry with the chain-mail armour on to prove it. 'You're not going to leave until I agree are you?' he asked.

'No' Molly told him. 'I don't see enough of you as it is because you won't leave this pit...'

'Well' Drogyn corrected her.

'And because I'm always so busy' Molly continued, ignoring the interruption.

'My Lady has a very important job of much responsibility' Drogyn noted, 'many slayers stand ready to do your bidding' he said, proud of her. She had a dress sense that even he realised was esoteric, and her manner and accent were not of his class but he was more than fond of the young slayer and their relationship had brightened up his life immensely.

'I'd be happy with _one_ immortal doing my bidding right now' Molly responded. 'Chocolate cake too' she wheedled.

Drogyn sighed. 'I will go to my cave and change into something less likely to attract comment if we meet other people rambling through the woods' he said. 'If I might take your leave for a few minutes.

'The 501's I got you' Molly requested as he turned away and headed towards his quarters, a surprisingly nice cavern that was an annex of the Deeper Well itself. Molly liked him in those jeans, it made him look like more of a normal bloke than the medieval garb he usually wore and besides which he had a nice backside she had long ago decided.

'You're in charge Scouse' Molly called over to Natasha, 'if anything escapes from the well while we're gone scythe it' she said then frowned. 'And no playing Pool with the Guards in their Rec Room' she added, 'they complained to Drogyn last time that you hustled them' she said.

'Hey I'm doing _you_ a favour here you Cockney Tart' Natasha retorted. 'Don't go setting extra rules now.'

'They're probably not dumb enough to play you again anyway' Molly told her.

Natasha sighed. 'You could be right' she said, good thing I bought a set of cards, she thought to herself happily, she came away with fifty gold sovereigns the last time she was here and she knew there was plenty more to be had with a few hands of blackjack.

Unfortunately as she discovered later, whilst the species of demons that guarded the deeper Well weren't great pool players, over the centuries with nothing much to do but kill time, and the very occasional unwelcome visitor, they had developed a fantastic system for counting cards, it was probably aided by all the time they spent counting sarcophagi to check they were still there.

Molly got her picnic and a great afternoon with Drogyn, Natasha however ended up losing not only her previous winnings but also her iPod as well and vowed never to underestimate demons again.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_This fanfic runs on reviews._


	28. Chapter 28

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER ****TWENTY****-****EIGHT**

**Gonaïves**** – Haiti – March 2005**

'I don't think I'll be coming back here for my next vacation' Ashton remarked as the two mercenaries waited in their beat-up hired jeep to be let into the compound at the Eastern edge of the city. Driving through part of it to get here hadn't been too nice, if they hadn't been quite so hardened it would have been heartbreaking as opposed to merely depressing.

Perković nodded his agreement. 'There was an armed uprising here February last year' he said looking around at the dilapidated state of the buildings and the overall impression of near destitution. 'Then a hurricane hit the area in September' he added.

'Have you been reading a tourist guidebook to crappy destinations?' Ashton asked.

The tall Croat shrugged. '_I_ like to know the history of where I am' he replied with an element of rebuke in his voice. He loved his best friend dearly but the Canadian was a shallow son-of-a-bitch sometimes, he all too frequently had almost no desire to learn or expand his mind whatsoever. They both knew that Janko was the smarter of the pair in just about every way except the ones that would keep you alive in a firefight, when the situation went to hell and there wasn't time to analyse the problem Doug Ashton had better instincts and he was far more comfortable giving orders.

'At least it's better than when you got caught by those sailors reading that book in that bar in Toulon' Ashton remembered, 'I nearly _let_ them kick your ass, why the hell didn't you just say _yes_ when they asked you if it was a porno novel instead of telling them it was about feminism and female oppression.'

'It was a good book' Perković replied, not to his usual tastes but The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir had been worth reading even if it wasn't necessarily typical fodder for a private in the Foreign Legion.

'If I thought you were only reading it to try and get into the pants of some student chick it would have been okay' Ashton told him sadly.

An armed guard carrying what looked like a very poorly maintained Chinese Kalashnikov copy and wearing Bermuda shorts, sandals and a vest waved them through and Ashton put the jeep into gear and drove into the grounds of a small colonial mansion surrounded by flaking brick walls.

Pulling up beside a gleaming new Toyota pick-up truck with a Russian heavy machine-gun mounted on the back Ashton instead fixed his appreciative gaze on a 1950's Cadillac in mint condition. 'Sweet ride' he said.

'I bought it over with me from Cuba' a voice interrupted.

Ashton got out of the jeep and regarded the well-dressed Hispanic man in a lightweight cotton suit who had walked down the wooden steps leading from the mansion to greet them. 'Enrique?' he verified, surreptitiously looking past him to size up his two bodyguards.

'The very same' the man confirmed, 'Emil told me to expect an American accompanied by a giant European but he did not give me your names.'

'I'm Jay' Ashton replied, 'and this is my hetero life-mate Silent Bob' he announced, Perković raising a hand in a brief wave. 'I hope that piece of crap the guy you've got on the gate was carrying isn't representative of the hardware you're selling' he added.

Enrique laughed. 'If you think I would sell shoddy merchandise to anyone who arrived here after a personal phonecall from Emil himself offering an introduction you underestimate his reputation' he said. 'I assume you are close associates? How did you meet?' he asked.

'We beat him up' Ashton replied truthfully.

'That sounds like a story worth hearing' Enrique told them, 'follow me inside, I have any number of drinks stocking my cabinet though I of course recommend rum.'

'Arms dealers, always great hosts' Ashton observed as they followed him into the mansion pausing to make unblinking eye-contact with one of the bodyguards, you had to make sure to establish your credentials as being at least as dangerous as they were, or at least crazy enough not to be worth provoking unnecessarily.

The bodyguard quickly glanced down and checked Ashton's footware, he might just be wearing jeans and a T-Shirt but those were combat boots and although they were old they'd been looked after. After they entered the bodyguard looked to his colleague and quietly said 'Les affreux', using another old nickname coined for soldiers of fortune, it translated as "the terrible ones".

After having a servant pour them a healthy measure of fine Cuban rum the arms dealer led them to the room where his wares were laid out on display, neat rows of rifles, pistols and other weaponry on tables. 'I trust I can meet your requirements?' he asked confidently, swirling his glass.

Perković put down his glass and picked up a mint-condition early nineteen-sixties M-14 rifle with a telescopic sight mounted. He opened the breech to check the internals before shouldering it and sighting outside through a window.

'Excellent choice' Enrique enthused, 'Sniper Accuracy with a decent rate of fire if the action gets up close and personal' he said.

'We'll take it, plus two of the MAC 10's, two of the 1911 Pistols, four stun grenades, four smoke grenades and that G3 Assault Rifle which is telling me to buy it' Ashton announced. 'Five loaded mags each for the rifles, five for the sub-machineguns and three clips for the Colts.'

'Not a problem, I'll have my people deliver them straight to your jeep' Enrique told him. 'You have the money with you?'

'Yeah, I'm going to give you enough credit to realise that if you tried to rob us our people would come down here and nail your balls to one of those ammo crates' Ashton replied, before taking a sip of his rum which was of excellent quality.

'You haven't asked the price' Enrique pointed out.

'I also give you enough credit not to overcharge and it's not my money I'm spending anyhow' the mercenary told him.

Perković made a coughing sound, and gestured at Ashton.

'Oh yeah right' Ashton remembered. 'This isn't our neighbourhood, and we know voodoo is real big around here, do _you_ know anywhere we can pick up some protective charms?' he asked. 'Maybe one of the local boys on your staff would know?' he suggested.

'Tourist souvenirs?' the arms dealer queried.

'No we want real ones that work' Ashton told him seriously, 'the people we're planning to drop in on are tied up with that shit and we don't want to get fucked over because we aren't prepared for it.'

'You believe in voodoo?' Enrique asked in amused surprise.

'You'd be fucking _amazed_ what we believe in' Ashton told him earnestly.

'I'll ask my people' the arms dealer offered, trying not to laugh. 'Can I get you anything else?' he asked.

'We'll take a couple of bottles of what we're drinking, a whole case if you can spare it' Ashton replied.

**Mansion**** – ****North ****Pylea**** – ****March**** 2005**

Cordelia made herself as comfortable as she could in her new throne whilst trying to maintain the dignity befitting a royal personage. Formerly a dining room a legion of skilled craftsmen had only recently finished converting it into a suitable reception area where Cordelia, Princess of Pylea could meet delegations of her loyal subjects and play court when high ranking members of society were visiting.

Flanked by members of the elite Royal Guard's Regiment, hand-picked by Groosalug the Undefeated, General of the Army of Northern Pylea, and with servants all around Cordelia took a couple of proffered berries from a silver plate offered to her and popped them into her mouth. This was definitely the way things were supposed to be, she decided, everyone worshipped her in awe, she had servants catering to her every whim and she even had a clean conscience about it because in reality she was only a figurehead and a rallying point about which they were forging a nation. An elected parliament modelled on the lines of those of the Monarchical European democracies back home was the true power in the land, the Prime Minister, a member of the Gathwok Clan, visited her every week to brief her on political issues and request she sign off on a piece of legislation, or perhaps make a speech somewhere, but her real power was fading fast.

The heavy oak double-doors leading to the throne room opened and a human Herald stepped forward. 'Your Pylean Majesty' he began, 'May I present Enyo, God-Princess of the Holocene, Warrior of the Slayer Legions and Heir to the Covenant' he said, putting a note of distaste into the word "Covenant".

Having morphed her appearance on arrival Enyo appeared as if wearing gunslayer uniform only with a much larger handgun than the usual Glock automatic holstered at her hip, the barrel reaching to just below her right knee. 'Princess Cordelia' she said, offering a bow that was just barely acceptable under the rules of etiquette.

'Princess Enyo' Cordelia replied, with an equally superficial nod of recognition.

'My mother dispatches me with plans and advice for dealing with the changed military circumstances that may result from a Scourge presence on this world' Enyo stated, indicating the box she was carrying.

'So not a present in there for me then?' Cordelia asked then turned to an advisor. 'Demon God's' she said, 'all business' she observed wryly.

'These should be issued to the Pylean Defence Forces immediately' Enyo continued, 'my mother and I have formulated many tactical and strategic responses for all likely scenarios and several unlikely ones' she declared. 'Even if my father Berith wishes to avoid war the volatility of the Scourge means that their presence makes a resumption of conflict more likely' Enyo stated, 'their notions of ideological and racial purity makes them behave irrationally and they may not be as controllable as Berith believes.'

'You don't need to tell me about the Scourge' Cordelia snapped back, straightening up in her throne and leaning forward, 'I know what they are and how they think' she said irritably before restraining herself and leaning back again in her chair.

Enyo frowned. 'My presence seems to anger you' she said.

'I don't like the stories I hear from home every time the girls based here are rotated back' Cordelia replied, 'Illyria was bad enough on her own but between you you're a _menace_' she opined. 'Turning the screw little by little, warping peoples world view with what seems like reasonable ideas and suggestions but each time you take them just a little more off the path, I know they don't see it back home because to them it's too gradual but I'm far enough away to see your little game.'

'Our only objective is victory over our enemies, who are also _your_ enemies' Enyo pointed out. 'As new foes arise, such as the resurgent threat presented by the worshippers of Jasmine, we must stand ready to do all that is required to meet them head-on and beat them back and Mother and myself are guilty of nothing more than trying to make people see the sense of this' she said, almost defensively then sighed. 'Rebecca says you always were a little too narrow in your boundaries of right and wrong Aunty Cordy' she added.

'I'm on to you, remember that Illyria-junior' Cordelia replied. 'Now hand over the plans, I know just how good Smurfette is at stuff like that' she said, waving for a serving girl who had been standing ready to collect the box. 'So how goes the war with the bugs?' she asked.

'Very well' Enyo answered, handing over the box to the servant. 'We have yet to suffer a single fatality despite two full-scale raids, the second of which ended with the destruction of Jasmine's most important Temple' she said. 'Since them we have dropped leaflets in the local script to them through portals warning that we would continue to escalate the campaign unless they ceased their attempted expansion to other dimensions' she continued. 'The leaflets also said that we would only interfere with their Holy Places as long as they try and foist their religious views on others.'

'Think that'll work?' Cordelia asked.

'No' Enyo replied frankly, all it did was make Buffy feel better about the situation she thought to herself. 'Even without the influence of Jasmine the demonstrated fanaticism of her followers during the fighting indicates they believe too strongly to abandon their crusade so easily' she opined. 'They likely think this to be nothing more than a test of their faith, those that have already fallen are likely venerated martyrs by now with many more looking to their example' she said. 'A long and sustained campaign would eventually thin the numbers of the excessively faithful and heroic, but to expect results any time soon without extreme measures is wishful thinking.'

Some part of Cordelia wanted to ask what Enyo would define as "extreme" but another part decided she'd sleep better not knowing and hope never to find out. 'No sign of Jasmine herself?' she asked instead.

'Not as yet' Enyo answered. 'I can tell from the cut of your outfit that you aren't pregnant so I assume she hasn't tried to sneak back the same way she tried to appear before.'

Cordelia couldn't help but laugh. 'No but I've got better at using that talisman you gave me to access the powers the bitch had Skip whammy me up with' she said. 'You were right about the levitation, Willow makes it look easier than it is' she admitted. 'If I concentrate I can get a foot or so off the ground, and hover there, but try and move about and I crash and burn onto the ground' she said. 'So far the only use I found for it is getting things off high shelves.'

'Visions?' Enyo queried.

'Without the PTB's to filter out the trivial crap whenever I put on the talisman and try to focus on getting a vision I never know if I'm going to get a warning of a Vantal or Droken Beast attack somewhere or if I'm going to find out some demon housewife is about to burn a batch of cakes.'

'It took you several years of practice in my own timeline to master your powers' Enyo told her. 'The talisman only prevents the Powers-That-Be suppressing them, it's no help beyond that' she said. 'We are fortunate that Jasmine needed you to be mystically enhanced for her rebirth, as she also needed Connor to exist, her own scheming will surely come to bite her on the ass one day since in reality her plotting has gifted her adversaries with two more powerful champions' she noted. 'Connor especially harbours a marked resentment of her.'

'Still harbouring a grudge against her myself' Cordelia replied. 'The whole body hijacking and getting me knocked up by my friends kid to use me as a freaking incubator pretty much coloured my opinion of _that_ deity' she said. 'Her plan to brainwash everyone alive and use them as snacks didn't raise her in my estimation any either' she added before raising her hand, 'but don't go thinking that just because the opposition are beyond bad it means you and Illyria get a free ride and carte blanche to do anything you want because there's right and there's wrong and you haven't got enough of a problem doing wrong.'

Enyo shook her head. 'Your own race, and the others that inhabit this world, are indeed fortunate that my mother arrived to save them from the inevitable when she did' she replied flatly. 'And you are doubly fortunate that we both care too much to let you stumble into slavery and death because of philosophical and ethical arguments that simply cannot be rationally applied in the current circumstances' she added with a tone of reproach. We're going to stop you getting brainwashed or eaten whether you want us to or not, she thought to herself with conviction earning a resounding "Fucking A" of agreement from Rebecca in their shared mind.

'I don't trust your motives any more than I trust your mothers' Cordelia told her honestly, for that matter she wasn't all that happy about three of the girls four parents given that in addition to Illyria's major personality flaws, Berith was an evil self-serving asshole and Faith was criminally insane.

'You may not trust us but deep down you know that when things get bad, here or on Earth, who it is that's going to pull your Royal...' Enyo paused and remembered the presence of the servants, '_throne_ out of the fire Princess.'

'Like I said earlier, I'm on to you and I'm going to make sure that you don't sucker Angel, or Buffy into buying what you're selling.'

'We've got one hell of a sales pitch though' Enyo replied, 'buy while you still can or we might not be able to keep you out of hell.'

Cordelia couldn't help but smile. 'Funny' she said, 'did Rebecca feed you that one?' she asked curiously.

'Every Demon-God needs a built in human teleprompter' Enyo confirmed.

**30 kilometres North-East of ****Gonaïves****– Haiti – March 2005**

Ashton drank some water and poured the final few drops in the canteen over his head. It must have been 30 degrees Celsius and in the tropics with the humidity it felt a lot warmer than that. 'It's like being back in fucking Kourou' he stated, looking around at the dense tropical forest surrounding the deserted and badly maintained dirt track they had parked up in.

Perković grinned, it was hot and sticky enough to be the Foreign Legion base in French Guiana but at least they weren't running around with a field pack with some Jungle Warfare Instructor trying to see if he could make them faint in the heat. 'Going soft' he replied.

'That's because I'm melting' Ashton told him, he always preferred the desert to the tropics, it didn't feel as uncomfortable even if it was technically even hotter. 'Where the hell is that...' he began, his complaint pre-empted by a blinding flash and the appearance of a girl, '... witch' he finished then frowned. 'Where's Willow?' he asked.

'You wanted someone to help you out with a Bokor' Amy Madison told him, 'little miss reformed world-ender doesn't know anything like as much as I do about voodoo' she stated. 'Jesus Christ it's hot' she moaned, she was severely overdressed.

'If you're what we've got to work with then fine' Ashton replied. 'If you check the top of the grey backpack in the back of the jeep you'll find a T-shirt and some shorts that'll fit if you tighten the belt enough' he offered. 'They're clean and we won't watch you get changed' he told the witch, 'unless you don't mind us doing that' he added hopefully. 'Put on plenty of mosquito repellent too' he suggested. 'I can rub it into places you can't reach.'

'I'll take the shorts but look somewhere else and I'll put on my own bug-repellent' Amy told him. 'This is because I've gone blond isn't it?' she asked. Amy had been changing her hair colour back and forth for years.

'Okay I've got a thing for blond chicks with some evil in them' Ashton admitted, letting her strip off to her underwear without sneaking a peek. 'So you know the voodoo stuff then?' he asked. 'We talked to this old mamba woman we were directed to about getting some protective charms and we thought we'd see if he knew anything about the people our informant told us were holding the slayer girl here.'

'A voodoo priestess is a "Mambo" not a mamba' Amy corrected him finding the shorts. 'The Priests are called Houngans' she added.

'The woman we talked to said the guy we were facing was a Bokor' Ashton replied, 'I thought that meant Voodoo Priest.'

'A Bokor is a voodoo priest who dabbles in Dark Magic' Amy replied, 'you probably think that's my kind of people' she added with considerable feeling.

Ashton chuckled. 'I fight wars for money and my girlfriend's a vampire' he said, 'you ain't getting held in judgement here babe' he told her. 'I got on the satellite phone and asked for help, you're it, so as far as I'm concerned for the duration of the mission you're just one of the team' he said. 'Didn't know you could teleport though?'

'Spell I got from Willow because she's got a better one now' Amy explained, 'I get the hand-me-down magicks so she can always still kick my ass if she has to' she said. 'Do I get a gun?'

'No' Ashton told her.

'Afraid I'll use it on you?' Amy asked.

'I already know you could beat both of us up with magic, I'm not scared you'll shoot me deliberately, I don't want you shooting me accidentally' the mercenary responded. 'Let me and Janko handle the firearms.'

'You can turn around now' Amy told them.

'Nice legs' Ashton observed, 'you can keep the shorts, Harmony could smell you on them' he told her. 'So here's what we know, a local Tonton Macoute warlord left over from the Duvalier days has our girl, why we don't know but he's got one of these Bokor guys on his crew which is why we didn't go ahead with Plan A and shoot our way in, if he's the real deal we'd be out of our depth' he freely admitted.

'I can handle the Bokor' Amy said confidently, 'but here's what I want from you' she continued, 'I do my part and you make sure to tell them back at the Buffy-Bunker that I was a very good girl and that they should reward me by not only letting me out to do crap like this' she requested. 'I'm going stir-crazy, all I do is enchant weapons and contain spells in grenades, I'll promise to return by curfew but I need to get out of there!' she exclaimed.

'Hey if you think anyone will listen to the hired help I'll do my best' Ashton agreed.

Amy found the mosquito repellent and started putting it on. 'Do you know any more about the Bokor?' she asked.

'The Mambo we spoke to mentioned that the Bokor was strong with Kalfu and Baron Samedi' Janko spoke up.

'Those are two of the Loa or spirits in Voodoo' Amy told them, 'Kalfu is called upon for sorcery and black magic, Baron Samedi is associated with the dead... and the raising and control of zombies' she noted.

'Those really exist like vampires and werewolves don't they?' Ashton verified.

'I know how to raise them myself' Amy told him.

'Headshots work like the films?' the mercenary asked.

'Only thing that does' Amy replied, 'if slayers didn't use guns now they'd be a great enemy to use against them, stabbing zombies with swords or staking them through the heart won't do anything and fire doesn't work fast enough' she said, 'they don't feel pain either' she said. 'Slayers fighting the old way would have a lot of trouble with the living dead, might have been what I tried against them myself if things had worked out differently' she pondered quietly to herself what might have been. These days a thousand zombies arriving at Shadow Valley would be turned into fertiliser for the vineyards faster than you could say "volley fire".

'Sorcery we _can't_ do, blowing something's brains out, now _that_ we can handle' Ashton told her brightly. 'Let's go earn that paycheck' he said, reaching into the bag Amy had taken the shorts and T-Shirt from and withdrawing his Foreign Legion Beret.

'You're not just going to drive up to the front door guns blazing are you?' Amy asked in surprise.

'No we're going to park up nearby, kidnap a guard, beat the floorplans and security arrangements out of him then _walk_ up to the front door guns blazing' Ashton told her, putting on the light green beret. 'We've already scouted the area otherwise' he added. 'Don't underestimate the effectiveness of a surprise attack against non-professionals.'

'If you assholes get me into the crap I'm teleporting out and leaving you there' she stated. 'We've got to be completely surrounded by this warlords people out here haven't we?' she asked.

Janko pulled on his own beret. 'We're paratroopers' he responded with a grin

'We're _supposed_ to be surrounded' Ashton told her.

'And _I'm_ the one they keep locked up for public safety' Amy said to herself in disbelief.

* * *

**_Note from the Author:_**

_This fanfic runs on reviews_


	29. Chapter 29

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE**

**30 kilometres North-East of Gonaïves – Haiti – March 2005**

At the edge of the forest looking away from the small village that surrounded a single large mansion Amy noted the tall Croatian beside her had fished out the crucifix hanging on a chain around his neck and was now offering a short silent prayer, mouthing the words in his own language. 'Whatever gets you through the day I suppose' she observed before turning to the other mercenary who was scooping out the area with a set of binoculars. 'You a believer too?' she asked.

'Believer yes, follower no' Ashton replied, lowering his binoculars. 'I didn't used to believe at all but when you know that crosses burn vampires and you can exorcise demons it's hard not to think there's something in it' he said.

'Help's to believe in something' Amy opined.

'You're a pagan right?' Ashton queried, 'I mean with the witch thing' he added.

'Yes' Amy confirmed, 'mostly I call upon Hecate which is more useful than you might think here' she told him. 'Hecate is goddess of the crossroads, of the boundaries between light and dark which is why you can call upon her to do good or evil' she explained then smiled. 'That gives me an edge here' she added.

'Why?' Ashton queried.

'Kalfu is associated with the crossroads between good an evil too' Amy explained, 'and there's no way that Hecate is going to let some Voodoo spirit have his follower beat one of hers' she told him 'Matter of pride' she said with a grin, 'the goddess has a Rep to protect' she told him. 'It's not that different, voodoo and witchcraft, most practitioners are good but you can use it for evil if you want, it's down to the individual.'

'Let's hope you're right about taking this guy' Ashton told her, 'I'm about as much use in a magic fight as a one legged man in an ass kicking contest' he said, then paused. 'I've been considering the Pagan stuff though' he admitted.

'No offence but you don't seem the Wicca type' Amy replied.

'No I mean the stuff I've heard from Medousa or Anya' Ashton told her, 'I mean I'd be in sweet with the God's of War and there's a hell of a lot more chance of me getting into Valhalla than Heaven' he said.

'You serious?' Amy asked in surprise.

'Hey now I know there's such a thing as a soul I've got to make sure it ends up somewhere I want it to be when I bite the big one' Ashton replied.

'You could repent your sins and embrace the church' Perković suggested, making the sign of the cross and putting his crucifix away again.

'It's just not me' Ashton replied. 'Okay it looks like the information we beat out of that sentry was true' he said. 'Fucking amateurs' he said with derision, shaking his head in professional disgust at the sloppy way the scattered guards were positioned, trained and equipped. 'The big boss isn't home but the girl's in there, and so is the voodoo guy.'

'I'll deal with the Bokor' Amy said confidently, making ready to channel her powers. 'Just remember that I'm not bullet-proof so you deal with the jerks with the guns.'

Ashton chambered a round in his G3 Assault rifle, it was an older design but it was accurate, reliable and fired a nice big cartridge. 'We're good at what we do' he stated.

'So am I' Amy told him, looking him in the eyes as hers began to swim with a dark cloud that grew from the iris until her whole eye was dark as night.

'Shit and I thought watching Harmony vamp-out to brush her teeth in the morning was disturbing' Ashton said with a grimace.

Amy blinked a few times, her view of the world had shifted, it had more clarity, edges were sharper now as she looked around with increased acuity of vision. The visual stimulus almost as intoxicating as the magicks now flowing through her, making her one with the goddess and the world around her. 'So if your soul is so important to you now why are you dating a girl that doesn't have one?' she asked. 'I went to school with her, you're not with her for her sparkling conversation.'

'I like evil blonds' Ashton replied as Perković chambered a round in his own rifle, looking through its telescopic sight. 'So what are you doing later?' he asked with a wink.

'The more dark magicks I use the darker my hair gets' Amy told him with a smirk, 'so the more evil the less blond I am.'

'Well that's just a fucking travesty' Ashton declared with heartfelt sincerity. 'So let's go do bad things for a good cause' he said more brightly. 'All the fun, and only one third the guilt afterwards' he told Amy, like he was trying to sell her something.

'Low Calorie Diet Evil' Amy responded, 'I like it' she said, 'I've been needing some stress relief' she added.

Perković looked from one to the other and sighed sadly to himself, the worst thing was he suspected this was about as close to being the good guys as they were ever going to get.

**Hyperion Hotel – Los Angeles – March 2005**

Harmony smiled at the young well-dressed couple who had just walked into the Hotel with what was presumably their daughter, a little girl of perhaps six or seven who looked good enough to eat, not that Harmony did that sort of thing any more but she still liked to look. 'Angel Investigations' she said brightly, 'we help the hopeless' she added almost chiming the words.

The man couldn't help but smile back, Harmony had a quite infectious peppy enthusiasm about her which had remained despite her being turned, personality traits like that were too ingrained for the mere absence of a soul to effect them. 'Hello' he said in a New England accent. 'I'm afraid we didn't know how to humbly request an audience in advance but is it possible that my family and I might be granted the privilege of basking in the presence of the God-King Illyria?' he asked.

Harmony narrowed her eyes. 'Who are you and how do you know Illyria?' she asked.

'We are unworthy followers of the Shaper of Things' the man replied and to Harmon's surprise he pulled the shirt he was wearing up out of his slacks and revealed a very poorly stitched operation scar with misshapen lumps evident under the skin. 'See I wear her sacraments close to my heart as the old texts detailed' he told her.

'Ouchie' Harmony responded. 'Couldn't afford a decent cosmetic surgeon?' she asked.

'I did it myself' the man replied. 'Without anaesthetic' he added proudly.

Harmony grimaced. 'And I thought my parents dragging me to church Sunday mornings was bad' she said. 'You really lucked out when it came to religion' she told him earnestly. 'Okay I'll see if Her Blueness will see you' she agreed, reaching for the telephone. 'I don't think she's got anything scheduled for today, she's probably playing computer games or something.'

'Computer games?' the woman repeated, speaking up for the first time.

'Yeah, she's like a total addict' Harmony replied, starting to dial Illyria's room, if she wasn't there she's try the second extension they'd put up for her on the roof.

Angel opened his office door and stuck his head out. 'Clients?' he asked.

'Just Illyria worshippers boss' Harmony replied, getting no answer from Illyria's room and trying the roof.

The vampire detective looked at the family askance then groaned. 'Oh wonderful' he said sardonically, 'just what we needed' he complained and taking a step back closed his door.

As Harmony started to talk on the telephone the families attention was caught by a strikingly pale dark-haired women in a flowing dress who walked into the lobby from a side door and who immediately smiled and made a bee-line towards them. 'Hello little girl' she said to the child, 'what's your name?' she asked before stopping dead in her tracks, looking up at the balcony above and pouting when she saw another young woman glaring down at her, body tensed for action.

'Better make yourself scarce before Dana decides you need to be beaten up' Harmony advised Drusilla sagely as she put down the telephone. 'Illyria, God-King of the Primordium, 

Shaper of Things grants you audience' she told the visitors, giving them her full title as instructed. 'She's just going to save her game and find Enyo' she added.

'Did you hear that honey' the woman told her daughter, 'we get to meet the God-Princess too' she said.

'Is she pretty?' the little girl asked.

'We will bathe in their glory' her father replied. 'Are we dressed okay?' he asked Harmony nervously.

'I wouldn't have let you wear that tie with that shirt but you should see how scruffy Wesley usually is' Harmony replied as Drusilla disappeared again.

'Wesley?' the man asked.

'My Consort' Illyria explained walking down the stairs in her armour and natural colouration.

'God-King!' the man exclaimed dropping to the ground on his knees looking at the floor averting his eyes, his wife doing likewise.

'Prostrate yourself sweetheart like we showed you' the woman whispered to the little girl who hadn't moved.

'You're pretty and blue' the girl told Illyria when she reached the end of the staircase.

'Yes I am' Illyria agreed, cocking her head to the side and regarding the trio with mild interest. 'You are worshippers of mine?' she verified.

'We are God-King' the man confirmed, still not looking at her. 'The numbers are small but growing as word that you once again walk the Earth spreads' he told her. 'Your servant Knox has been spreading the word of your greatness to others' he said.

'Yes I heard about the website' Illyria replied, it was starting to get a reasonable number of hits per day according to Knox. 'Why have you come here?' she asked, 'do you wish to make a request?' she queried.

'Oh no God-King' the man replied. 'We wished to offer you a sacrifice worthy of your magnificence.'

Illyria crossed her arms. 'Devotion is welcome' she told him. 'What did you intend to offer me?' she asked.

'The life of our first born' the man replied, voice trembling slightly.

The Old One's eyes widened. 'Are you insane?' she asked eventually, looking at the little girl in an appalled fashion 'Who do you think you are? Abraham?' she asked rhetorically.

'But... but your temple of Vahla ha'nesh has a sacrificial altar' the woman spluttered. 'We thought...'

'The altar is for enemy prisoners and those of my servants who failed me' Illyria explained, 'I did not ask my followers to offer up their children like the Wolf, Ram and Hart or the likes of that neurotic bitch Yeska' she declared. 'A sane deity or monarch rules through the trust of their people not merely by fear' she continued, 'why give them a reason to doubt your worthiness to rule?'

'We assumed...' the man said.

'Be grateful you did not sacrifice your child before coming to see me or else I would have killed you for your crime' Illyria interrupted. 'I command you to be good loving, devoted parents from this point on' she ordered. 'And get off the floor' she added, 'you are making the place look untidy.'

The man and woman practically leapt to their feet, still nervously averting their gaze. 'How then can we serve you?' the man asked.

'For a start you can relay the message that I am not some psychopath demanding the ritual sacrifice of children' Illyria replied curtly. 'I have decided to be the protector of your race not another leech upon it like so many powerful demons are' she continued.

'We will spread your word' the woman responded, then paused. 'You are not what we were expecting' she admitted.

'Do not make the mistake of thinking my Mother is not still a mighty warrior capable of striking fear into the hearts of our enemies' another voice interrupted as Enyo entered the Lobby, coming up from the basement where she had been checking the Hotel's arsenal of weapons. 'She is merely less one-dimensional and self-serving than you apparently thought.'

'My daughter, the God-Princess Enyo, Warrior of the Slayer Legions and Heir to the Covenant' Illyria announced.

'You're pretty, red _and_ blue' the little girl told Enyo.

'Yes I am' Enyo agreed. 'Would you like an ice-cream?' she asked, taking a suggestion from Rebecca.

'Yes please' the little girl replied happily.

Enyo raised her hand, became a blur of speed that streaked towards the kitchen and returned a split second later snapping back into sharp focus with a chocolate ice-cream sandwich which she handed the girl.

'You're _fast_!' the girl exclaimed.

'And we don't gyp you with manna instead of tasty treats' Enyo replied, dropping to one knee so she was closer to eye-level with the girl. 'Are you a good little girl who says her prayers to Illyria every night?' she asked.

'Yes' the girl replied.

'If you write them down and post them here instead I'll make sure my Mother reads them' Enyo promised.

'If this is going to lead to a wish-list of presents do not think that because my armour is red I bear any relation to Santa Claus' Illyria spoke up. 'Look me in the eyes' she ordered the girls parents. 'If you are loyal followers I will protect and reward you' she vowed, tell others of the joy and contentment to be found as a disciple of the God-King Illyria.'

'Just don't knock on peoples doors because that's really annoying' Harmony piped up.

'For once the half-breed makes a valid point' Illyria agreed.

'Half-breed?' the woman queried.

'I'm a vampire' Harmony explained, 'but don't worry I don't drink human blood any more because that's a sacking and staking offence under company rules' she added.

'You have vampire worshippers?' the man asked, 'well of course you do' he continued, 'all would wish to follow where you lead.'

'No I'm salaried' Harmony told him, 'my folks were Presbyterians but I'm not big with the Christianity now myself, what with the burning' she explained, 'Hey do Jewish vampires burn when they touch a Star of David?' she asked curiously. 'I'll check that on google' she announced starting to tap on her computer.

Illyria looked thoughtful. 'I will show you my temple of Vahla ha'nesh' she announced grandly. 'It has seen better days but keep in mind it was built when the best available shellfish for a beach barbeque were trilobites not shrimp.'

Enyo stood up again after tenderly stroking the little girls hair. 'Trilobites?' she asked. 'What did those taste like?' she asked.

'Needed tabasco but I never knew that until I possessed Fred' Illyria replied regretfully, 'and while we're on the subject, if I could make a Dimetrodon enchilda we could put Taco Bell out of business overnight' she stated with certainty.

**30 kilometres North-East of Gonaïves – Haiti – March 2005**

Amy couldn't help but be impressed by the mercenaries sheer ruthlessness as they simply gunned down anything that got in their way. She also noted that despite what you see in movies you really can't hit anything if you fire a rifle from the hip especially when your idea of aiming is to point the barrel of your weapon in roughly the right direction and close your eyes firing off an entire clip at once the recoil pulling the muzzle towards the sky as some of the Haitian's seemed to be doing in a state of sheer panic.

The panic was of course being aided and abetted by Amy who getting into the spirit of the occasion was casting illusions and fear spells around as she went. The already superstitious locals were easy prey to some flashy tricks and Amy had the skills to do a lot more than frighten some poor peasants with the most rudimentary educations and training.

Another guard slumped to the ground as Ashton put two rounds through his chest, they were so damn inept he was starting to think that if anything he'd over-planned this operation rather than gone off half-cocked which is what he might have thought he'd done facing a more competent foe. The element of surprise backed up by the mystical magic show and the occasional grenade had simply caused the guard's to fall apart with no semblance of order apparent among them as they fired wildly, only succeeding in attracting the attention of Perković who clinically dispatched them with his sniper rifle one at a time giving covering-fire to Ashton who was leading the tiny but surprisingly successful assault force.

'_This is fun how much do they pay you to do this_?' Amy asked, causing Ashton to nearly jump out of his skin, she had asked it telepathically which came as something of a surprise.

'More than I'd ask for' Ashton replied feeling very weird about it.

'_You just need to think it_' Amy told him. '_I could link you up with Janko but if he thinks in his own language we won't understand him_, _I don't do instantaneous translations_' she explained.

'_Leave the man his delusions some chick can't see into his head_' Ashton thought back.

'_Ooh I sense power'_ Amy thought, '_someone is calling upon the Loa_.'

'_How much power_?' Ashton asked, firing a short burst as much designed to keep the level of confusion up as anything else.

'_Lots_' Amy answered, '_this Bokor is deep into the arts_, _strong with the spirits_' she said.

'Sure you can take him?' Ashton checked.

'_Please_!' Amy responded, somehow managing to snort derision telepathically. '_You're talking to the only human walking this Earth that Darth Rosenberg is careful around_' she declared.

As the firing died down, the people of the village having fled into the jungle along with several guards, the door to the mansion opened and a figure shuffled out, eyes glazed and pale as death despite being a black Haitian.

'_Zombie' a real one, he's trying to spook us_' Amy advised. '_You get fake zombies too here' she explained, people who are just drugged to make them slow-witted and suggestible_' she continued. '_That thing is actually dead_, _like your girlfriend... only even dumber_.'

'_Hey_!' Ashton objected.

'Dare you match yourself against he that can call upon Baron Samedi to rise the dead in his defence?' a deep voice rumbled from inside the mansion. Despite the fact it was broad daylight in the tropics a chill wind blew through the village and it seemed to Ashton and Perković that ice had formed in their bones.

'Ooh melodramatic' Amy responded walking towards the Mansion. 'I can put on a big scary 

voice too if you want' she said, 'but I prefer to be just scary' she added.

'Keep her covered Jan' Ashton called out.

The zombie continued to shuffle forwards and was joined by two others, one looking very much the worse for wear as it must have had some time to decompose before it was raised. It really couldn't have been hygienic to keep it inside Amy decided. 'We want the slayer, that's all we want' she said.

'You're overconfident for a little white girl' a middle-aged man dressed in a black tuxedo and dark glasses wearing a white top hat declared following the zombies out of the mansion.

'Is this supposed to be role play?' Amy asked loudly, 'because if I knew we were supposed to come dressed like our sponsors I'd be wearing a white robe.'

'I sense the power in you' the Bokar Sorceror declared.

'Only as much as I _wanted_ you to sense' Amy told him and spreading her arms wide she levitated off the ground with lightning flashing around her, the smell of ozone in the air as her hair shifted to jet black. 'Do you like the real me?' she asked. 'Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna I call upon your power to come to me' she thundered.

'Fucking hell' Ashton swore, even _he_ could feel the mystical energy flowing from the girl.

The blood drained from the Bokors face as his eyes widened in terror. 'What _are_ you?' he asked.

'Power' Amy replied, hell if he could do melodrama she could as well she decided. 'Do you wish to test your pathetic skills against the instrument of the goddess Hecate?' she asked, 'do you think your pretenders to dominion over the crossroads can match her?' she asked. 'You call upon spirits, I am in league with _gods_!' she declared, voice reverberating with the energies around her. Damn she was going to sound croaky tomorrow she decided.

'I am sworn to the service of my patron' the Bokor told her. 'I cannot...'

Amy slammed him backwards into the mansion wall next to the door with a surge of telekinetic force, the impact hard enough to knock the wind out of him. Oh yeah, I'm bad, she thought to herself happily.

'Kill her' the Bokor ordered and the three zombies moved to obey but had barely travelled any distance before a shot rang out blowing the brains of the first out of the back of its head, the undead creature collapsing to the ground in a strangely slow slump.

'Awesome' Ashton called out, 'put _me_ in a shopping mall with plenty of ammo and a couple of hot girls and Dawn of the Dead is a _much_ cooler film' he declared before two more shots rang out in quick succession dropping the other two zombies. 'That's just showing off Jan' the mercenary stated with a frown.

'Kill her?' Amy said, growling slightly. 'Did you order those pathetic creatures to kill me?' she asked with fury.

'Oh she's pissed now voodoo-boy' Ashton said, shaking his head disparagingly. 'Smooth move.'

'You'll kill me anyway' the Bokor stated.

'What makes you so sure?' Amy asked, then narrowed her eyes. 'What did you do to the girl?' she asked suspiciously.

'My patron's orders...' the Bokor said, his voice trailing off.

Amy used a spell Willow had taught her plus overwhelming mystical force to look into his mind, his will was already broken or she could not have managed it. 'The slayers will hunt your precious patron to the ends of the Earth' she told him. 'We can kill you quick if you want' she offered, 'they won't' she advised.

'Do it' the Bokor told her.

'You can kill him or I will' Amy told Ashton, the mercenary immediately taking aim and firing a single shot which took the life of the voodoo sorcerer.

'So why did I just off the guy in the sharp suit?' Ashton asked curiously as he lowered his rifle.

Amy settled to the ground and released her hold on the magicks, closing her eyes as a wave of nausea resulted from doing so. 'The girl is upstairs, you wait here' she said simply.

'What's going on?' Ashton wanted to know.

Amy turned to face him. 'Do you know what a vampire or demon would pay to screw a slayer?' she queried, 'What a man who owned one could ask in return, be that currency money or power?' she asked rhetorically. 'Just use some drugs and magic to keep her docile so she doesn't kill the client and pimp her out' she said. 'Slayers heal fast too so they get to beat her half to death afterwards as a bonus.'

Ashton blinked. 'Oh shit' he said quietly.

'And people say the _demons_ are evil' Amy observed, 'they've got nothing on some of us humans' she opined.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_Pretty dark at the end there I suppose but I could se it happening easily enough given the other things people do._

_This fanfic runs on reviews. _


	30. Chapter 30

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

* * *

**WARNING - SPOILERS FOR SEASON 8 COMICS**

**CHAPTER THIRTY**

**Shadow Valley – California – March 2005**

'Feelings are running high Buffy' Giles reminded her as they walked from the main building towards the Sports Hall, they could hear all the commotion inside, it sounded like a packed house. 'I'm not sure that this is well advised' he cautioned.

Buffy stopped in her tracks and turned to him. 'So you think I should _let_ her circumvent my authority, try to overrule me?' she asked angrily.

'No I think you need to be more careful in choosing your battles because win or lose this one you're going to weaken your position and strengthen hers' Giles replied, looking around to check nobody else was in earshot. 'At least wait until the girls start thinking clearly.'

'Giles one of them, one of _us_' Buffy corrected herself, 'was drugged, imprisoned, beaten and...' she paused, '...repeatedly raped for months on end' she said, 'they want vengeance, Giles, _I_ want vengeance' she admitted, 'but I know that it's important that it looks like justice when we look back at it in the future not just revenge' she said. 'I might have stood a chance at getting that accepted by the Advisory Council if the Red Menace hadn't weighed in saying I didn't have the authority to unilaterally rule on a slayer issue and howling about taking this to the girls to see what they thought.'

Giles took a breath and let it out slowly. 'Buffy I was there when Ashton gave his report, I was with you when you visited the girl in the infirmary' he noted. 'I saw the rage and horror in your eyes, if the people responsible were in front of you then you would have beaten them to death and felt righteous doing so, that's how _everyone_ feels at first, the difference is you've had more time to consider the consequences and you're older and more experienced than the other slayers' he said. 'You know that long-term to seek justice is better than vengeance, you've got to give them the time to get their heads straight to see that too' he continued, 'if you charge in there now she'll portray _you_ as the uncaring, remote leader and she'll use that capital for all its worth to undermine your position.'

Buffy scowled. 'Giles from what I hear, right now she's in there whipping the girls up into a lynch mob' she responded. 'I can't allow that to happen, I need to do something.'

'I'm sure she's doing exactly what you say' Giles replied, 'they'll be cheering her fiery rhetoric, crying when she cries, echoing her calls for retribution, she'll be employing all the tools of the gifted rabble-rousing demagogue we saw during the electoral debates and for the next few days they'll all be convinced that when we catch the man responsible we should lay him alive and rub salt in his flesh, or whatever other fiendish mortal torture she can come up with, but when they start thinking instead of following the dictates of visceral reaction they'll be more amenable to listen to an argument that says fighting monsters, be they demon or human, doesn't excuse being monstrous.'

'And that's what I'm going to tell them' Buffy responded.

'Good' Giles replied, 'just tell them when they'll actually _listen_' he implored.

Buffy looked down at the concrete path, part of a network that criss-crossed the grounds of Shadow Valley connecting all the buildings and facilities just like the hidden tunnels beneath their feet. 'I'm losing control Giles' she said. 'I'm being undermined.'

The watcher sighed. 'If you go off half-cocked and confront Rebecca and all the girls that have come to hear her spout off, all you'll be doing is handing her the digging tools' he said. 'Buffy, I love you but you're _not_ a persuasive enough public speaker to change peoples minds at a time like this, fight the battles you can win and avoid the ones you'll lose' he advised.

Buffy turned and looked up at Giles. 'You wouldn't be so dispassionate if somebody was trying to take the Watchers Council away from _you_' she stated.

'Actually I think that if Rebecca succeeded in usurping your position as Chief Slayer, which I agree she may harbour plans to do, she would likely move on to a campaign of replacing me with Wesley as Head of the Council' Giles replied. 'From that perspective it's rather handy for me to keep you around as a shield' he told her with a wry smile.

'Wesley?' Buffy queried.

'Of course and if I was her I'd be thinking of replacing you with Faith' Giles responded. 'Who else but a true slayer, called by destiny, as opposed to Willow and a magical scythe, could act as a generally acceptable figurehead?' he asked rhetorically.

'Wesley and Faith in charge?' Buffy said incredulously, they weren't even mentally stable to Buffy's mind, let alone suitable to be in charge.

'At least in public' Giles replied, 'in reality I'm sure it would be Illyria calling the shots from the shadows with Enyo as both loyal enforcer and public-relations person, smoothing over her "mothers" rough edges and abrasive manner' he theorised, 'quite the family business when you think about it.'

'And I thought_ I_ was the paranoid one' Buffy responded, shaking her head sadly.

'You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing Buffy' Giles replied. 'Hurricane Enyo has swept us all along and our course was already being beset by Tempest Illyria' he said. 'You need to make sure that you're not broken against the rocks but you _also_ need to ensure you don't break a mast trying to steer against the storm.'

Buffy raised an eyebrow. 'Twins still trying to get you to take them sailing?' she asked.

'It's been preying on my mind, I may have exaggerated my nautical prowess a smidgen' Giles admitted, 'but the prospect of drowning and parental humiliation aside I must once again reiterate my advice that you must not play into the hands of your possible rivals' he said. 'The girls are stirred up, emotional and as metaphorically hungry for blood as the 

vampires they slay are literally' he continued. 'Don't go in there and gift Rebecca the spectre of the Chief Slayer apparently not caring sufficiently about the heinous crimes committed against one of what I believe is starting to be called the slayer sisterhood, you can't quell the mob as easily as you can wait for the passion to subside.'

'Giles even if they might be more reasonable in a few days she's still going to come out of this in the girls minds as the voice of the masses, the one that understands' Buffy replied.

'To some, but to others you'll be the deliberative voice of reason because you didn't lose your cool' Giles replied. 'You're the Chief Slayer, the chosen one, destined to fight the monsters, destined to _lead_ the others not necessarily be one of them.'

Buffy sighed. 'Unfortunately the prophecy says that Illyria is the once and future God-King, references to Buffy Summers Queen of the Slayers are absent' she pointed out.

'Well its not like we've got any timescale on _when_ she's supposed to resume the throne, it could easily be centuries or millennia away' he pointed out. 'At this moment in time _you're_ in charge and if you want to stay that way you need to start thinking tactically about the political ramifications of your decisions' he counselled.

'I miss when it was just me, the vamp, and Mr Pointy' Buffy said dejectedly. 'Now I have to scheme and contemplate dirty tricks like Richard Nixon.'

'Could you find another analogy?' Giles requested, 'because as advisor that one rather places me in the role of Henry Kissinger' he said with distaste as Buffy sighed once more, turned around and headed back to her office, the watcher following on behind.

Meanwhile in the Sports Hall where Rebecca was still whipping the masses up into a frenzy she had already started to change the flow of the argument from the calls for vengeance against those who had so abused one of them to a reasoned argument that they also needed to make an example so that nobody would ever possibly consider doing such a thing ever again. They needed to be harsh not merely because of the need for retribution but also to protect other girls from the same fate.

They did calm down over the following days but as the inner screams for revenge died away the more reasoned argument for making an example remained, indeed that was the one which the Advisory Council presented to Buffy calling for the ultimate punishment for the perpetrators.

Over the following months a steady stream of demons and vampires who had violated the girl were tracked down, bought to Shadow Valley and publicly executed by decapitation or stake, the events recorded on video and distributed around the world. The human that had masterminded and profited from the girls enslavement and abuse tried to seek sanctuary with Wolfram and Hart who immediately turned him over to the Slayers not wishing to fight the war which would almost certainly have resulted if they didn't. The calls in some quarters for him to be flayed or crucified being outvoted he was instead hung from a set of gallows which Xander reluctantly made. There was no long fall to break his neck and ensure a quick death, instead he asphyxiated as the rope clamped across his throat, feet kicking wildly at first as he dangled in the air but eventually the struggling stopped and he hung there swaying in the light breeze, hundreds looking on.

The first of several minor demon clans began breaking allegiance to the Wolf, Ram and Hart within weeks of the story spreading through the underworld. It was becoming generally perceived that the Old One Illyria and her daughter were starting to guide slayer policy and this spelt the end for any chance at successful opposition to slayer-guaranteed human dominance of this world. Giles had to explain the rituals to Buffy when the first of their leaders arrived at Shadow Valley and instead of attacking her bowed in supplication and offered her their fealty in what they considered the interim period before Illyria took over.

Although the slayers actions seemed to confirm the most nightmarish scenarios dreamed up by many of the forces aligned to it, Twilight decided it would be best to try and look inoffensive for a while, if you were a relatively minor power it was clearly good policy not to provoke the new hard-line slayer organisation into crushing you like a bug.

**Calvary Cemetery – Cleveland – April 2005**

The new girl had come straight from Shadow Valley and was as inexperienced as she was keen as she walked between the seemingly endless rows of gravestones. 'This place is huge' she said to Kennedy in a whisper. It was unbelievably creepy being here at night too.

'Over three hundred acres and nearly three-hundred thousand people buried here' Kennedy replied. 'We try to keep the vampires out but for some reason there's always plenty of traditionalists who like to hang in graveyards' she explained as they arrived at their destination.

'What are they doing?' the newly trained slayer asked as two girls seemed to be setting up a machine over a fresh grave.

'Ground penetrating radar' Kennedy explained as the two other slayers noted her arrival with a nod. 'We think it might be a vampire in there, cause of death in the newspaper was blood loss through puncture wounds in the neck.'

'Why not just dig them up?' the girl asked.

'Respect for the dead' Kennedy answered. 'I wouldn't want anyone digging up one of my friends or family would you?' she asked. 'With that thing we can check before thinking about disturbing someone's eternal rest' she noted, indicating the machine which was usually used by archaeologists hunting relics not slayers hunting vampires. 'We used to just wait around to see if they dug their way out but that meant girls hanging around in cemeteries all night with nothing to do but get bored or avoid policemen or security guards' she explained. 'Now we just take a look and if there's no sign of the dead being more active than they should be we go home.'

'If we meet a vampire can I stake it?' the new girl asked hopefully.

'That's what you're here for' Kennedy replied. 'I want to see how you handle yourself' she explained.

'Nothing' the girl checking the radar unit announced. 'We should be seeing something by now, they've been dead long enough to change.'

'Okay pack up and head back to the apartment' Kennedy told them. 'Maybe we'll have better luck finding trouble at a Demon Bar?' she said.

'The last demon bar I went to the worst vampire trouble I had was one trying to pick me up' one of the girls with the radar unit responded. 'We've been too successful.'

'Yeah the hellmouth isn't as much fun as it used to be' the other noted sadly.

'Don't listen to them' Kennedy told the new girl, 'there's still plenty of demons and vampires to slay around here, it's just not as busy as it was' she said.

'I heard about the Harbingers' the new girl said, watching the equipment getting packed up.

'Oh we get the occasional Bringer outbreak, those are fun' the girl who had been complaining about the lack of action these days conceded. 'We still don't know what the hell the First Evil has them looking for but we catch them digging for something every so often.'

'Why not capture one and interrogate it?' the girl asked curiously.

'We tried, _they_ don't know what they're looking for either' Kennedy replied. 'I guess The First expects them to know it when they find it' she said. 'You know we could be standing above a whole horde of Turok'Han and they're looking forthe Seal to let them out.'

'I thought the seal to the Cleveland Hellmouth is supposed to be out under the lake?' the new girl asked. 'That's what I was told.'

'According to the survey data Enyo had it is' Kennedy agreed, 'there could be another way in there, a back door' she continued. 'That's the popular theory anyway.'

'Could be a hidden temple, or maybe a vault of mystically charged treasure' one of the other slayers suggested, as she placed the radar unit into a large backpack for transportation.

'Hidden lair of super demons?' the new girl offered.

'That would be cool, we don't see enough scythe-worthy opposition' Kennedy responded. 'It just feels so unfair using it against anything that's not at least uber-vamp level powerful.'

'Doesn't stop you though does it boss' the slayer now carrying the backpack replied with a grin.

'I never said not fighting fair bothered me that much did I?' Kennedy asked. 'Come on rookie lets find a bar full of nasty bloodsucking vampires and vicious demons and hope they're drunk enough to pick a fight' she said. 'I hope you can handle your yak urine' she added leading the girl away.

'Yak urine?' the girl repeated, sticking out her tongue.

'Strom demons say it goes down smooth' Kennedy told her. 'Never got the taste for it myself 

but you've got to try and blend in' she added. 'Make sure to keep enough beer back to wash away the taste' she advised, 'unless they've only got budweiser because then you'll want to keep the yak urine back to wash away that taste instead.'

'I don't drink' the girl said nervously, she wasn't sure if Kennedy was being serious.

'Okay, nix the beer but the urine is alcohol free so that'll be okay right?' Kennedy checked.

'I... I guess so' the girl conceded.

'Newbie you are too gullible by half but you'll be very popular with boys if you're this easy to talk into putting something _that_ unpleasant in your mouth' Kennedy told her then laughed.

The girl laughed but then stopped. 'I don't get it' she said awkwardly.

'I'll get one of the other girls to explain' Kennedy told her after deciding she was being serious, 'to be honest I'm fuzzy on the specifics' she admitted.

**Shadow Valley – California – April 2005**

The mist began to roll in shortly after sunset, billowing slowly down the valley and obscuring that which came with it. It was all very clichéd and overly melodramatic as far as Buffy was concerned, watching from the roof of the accommodation block where her penthouse apartment was located, initially diffuse ephemeral shapes in the mist beginning to coalesce into recognisable solid forms as she accepted the set of image-intensifier goggles Vi handed to her and put them on, the technology magnifying the moonlight a thousand-fold turning darkness into light. 'Everyone ready?' she asked the pair of girls stood beside her.

'Everyone but them out there' Vi responded with a grin as she watched through her own goggles.

'Well at least we know the mystical Early-Warning-System works' Willow noted. 'We picked up their approach twenty-five miles away despite them using some pretty tricky magicks to cloak themselves' she said.

'Wolves!' Vi declared, 'Illyria was right.'

'I was hoping for bats' Willow responded.

'More difficult to hit' Vi noted.

'I like the classics' Willow told her with a shrug.

Buffy watched as the mist reached the moat that ringed the building and seemed to run up against an invisible barrier. 'The shield works' she said.

'Of course it does' Willow replied brightly.

A large number of animals could now be seen next to the moat, some seemingly trying to reach out to paw something that wasn't there in confusion. 'Let them through then slam it shut again once they're trapped' Buffy ordered.

Willow reached out her hands palms upwards and recited a few words. Immediately the mist started to move again, drifting across the moat. 'They're coming over' Vi noted as dozens if not hundreds of wolves made impossible leaps across the water.

'Get ready' Buffy ordered, Vi flipping down the microphone of her radio headset in front of her mouth.

'I think that's all of them' Willow said.

'Gottcha' Buffy said smugly as the witch once again made the mystical barrier that defended the perimeter of the facility active.

The small quantity of mist which had crossed with the wolves began to evaporate immediately leaving them standing in the open as a battery of floodlights came on bathing the entire area in light as bring as day. 'They look like this wasn't in the plan' Vi opined before laughing as the wolves seemed to be looking around in surprise. One tried to jump back across the moat, smashed headlong into an invisible wall and fell into the water with a splash.

'Now' Buffy ordered.

'GO GO GO' Vi bellowed into her radio headset prompting hundreds of slayers to come pouring out of the buildings, some with rifles dropping to one knee and taking aim, most with swords and pistol crossbows and a minority with scythes forming up behind them.

'You wanted to try out those bullets, here's your chance' Buffy told Vi.

Vi grinned. 'Gunslayers' she began 'Bucky the fuckers' she said causing initial whoops of enthusiasm from some down on the ground but making the Chief Slayer frown at the bad language.

Willow put her hands over her ears as a storm of automatic gunfire thundered in the night. No mere conventional ammunition though, these were the modified phosphorus filled incendiary rounds Knox had developed from the Buckingham bullets of the First World War and they tore through the air like miniature fireballs, leaving behind a tiny trail of acrid smoke as well as a sonic boom.

Whenever the flaming metal struck home the result was initially minimal but then as it continued to burn in the flesh of its still nonplussed target the wolves began to howl in agony and then in a freakish metamorphosis they changed into human form as the vampires they truly were lost control and tried to claw the burning molten phosphorus out with their bare hands, writhing in agony as they tore at the entrance wounds.

Other "wolves" leapt to the attack snarling and running straight at the slayers who were less than two hundred yards away, some changed form again into panthers others into swarms of bees which did at least make them more difficult to hit.

Stood just behind a kneeling gunslayer who was firing burst after burst into the onrushing undead enemy Amanda hefted her scythe. 'Get ready!' she shouted over the gunfire. 'Grenades now!' she ordered as the vampires in different forms ran towards them.

Ten girls hurled Helios Grenades into the midst of the opposition, the techno-mystical bombs detonating in a flare of sunlight that dusted any vampire near them when they went off.

At twenty-five yards Vi ordered cease-fire and the other slayers rushed forward, enchanted metal cleaved through flesh and wood impaled itself through unbeating hearts as the slayers all wearing chainmail armour that protected them from the worst effects of tooth and claw began to slaughter the vampires in whatever form they took.

Buffy watched as a girl hosed a flamethrower over a swarm of bees which was easier than trying to stake each one with a cocktail stick she supposed. 'You don't think they've got Dracula's other power do you?' she asked. 'I mean the one where he reforms from dust.'

'Even if they could normally it wouldn't work in Shadow Valley' Willow replied. 'We've got mystical and techno-mystical wards and defences that would interfere with anything like that' she explained. 'Might be wise to vacuum up as much of the dust as we can, mix it with cement and make it into concrete blocks though just in case' she advised. 'We could use Holy Water as an extra guarantee' she suggested as Amanda cut a vampire in panther form in half with her scythe, both parts exploding into dust.

A bright flash hundreds of feet above them caught Buffy's attention and she looked up just in time to see Enyo falling from the sky in her usual manner of arrival after teleporting. This time however instead of landing with catlike grace on the ground after her fall she crashed into the invisible barrier which went over as well as around the buildings, the effect looking very much like a bird flying straight into a window.

'Please someone get this on film' Buffy exclaimed as Enyo began to half roll, half slide down the outside of the dome-shaped mystical barrier.

'Did you plan this?' Willow asked suspiciously as the Slayer/Demon-God eventually slid all the way to the ground on the other side of the barrier ending up in the low-lying enveloping mist beyond.

'No I asked her to teleport back from the Hyperion just in case we needed her' Buffy replied. I'd probably better send her after their boss, if she's busy she causes me less trouble she thought to herself and she's good at beating up on things that _think_ they're powerful.

'She's going to be _really_ pissed when she gets in here' Vi opined looking through binoculars, watching Enyo's body language as after picking herself up she stood at the edge of the barrier arms crossed and scowling. 'I'm going to head down and check if anyone had trouble with the new bullets' she said trotting off towards the stairs.

'Best keep that barrier up a few hours until she calms down' Buffy told Willow as the remnant of the invading shape-changing vampires was being mopped up below, some of those wounded by the Buckingham bullets being taken prisoner for interrogation.

'Went pretty well' Willow said. 'I had my witches ready to get involved but we weren't needed.'

Buffy nodded 'And to think Illyria said we had_ trouble_ with this pissants in the original timeline?' she said incredulously as the slayers started hauling their prisoners away.

'I guess in some parallel universes our doubles are kinda wussy' Willow said with a shrug.

Buffy sighed and checked Vi was out of earshot. 'The thing that freaked me out was being told that by this point in the original timeline I was kinda gay' she told her friend.

'Don't worry, from what I hear Satsu is crushing on the pissed-off one out there this time around' Willow told her. 'Must have a thing for the alpha-female or something' she opined then grimaced when she realised what she'd said, turning to Buffy who was glaring at her. 'I mean Enyo has that power-vibe, not that you're not the one in charge' she said awkwardly. 'Hey Robin is on the next roof' she said changing the subject with little grace and waving to him. 'He's waving back, wave Buffy.'

Buffy rolled her eyes and turned to wave at Robin Wood who must have been watching the battle such as it was too. Maybe I do need to get laid, she thought to herself, girls seemed a bit drastic because she knew she wasn't gay and couldn't imagine having sex with another woman, but great muppity Odin she was missing having _someone_ to fool around with in the sack with.

Outside the barrier a very unfortunate vampire that had been lagging behind the others almost ran headlong into a very annoyed demon goddess who was leaning back against an invisible wall arms crossed and muttering dark thoughts. It would have been better off being shot full of holes with incendiary bullets then staked like its much luckier comrades because Enyo was not in a very good mood and wished to do some violence.

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_**Note from the Author:**_

_This Fanfic runs on reviews_


	31. Chapter 31

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

* * *

**WARNING - SPOILERS FOR SEASON 8 COMICS**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE**

**Shadow Valley – California – April 2005**

Xander smiled at the new arrivals he was showing around the slayer museum, a steady stream of girls reached activation age every month and were immediately contacted and recruited so it was a job he had undertaken many times. He had told the same jokes so many times the bulk of his patter was almost instinctual now but new exhibits gave him the opportunity to write new material and he still enjoyed the meet and greet part of his job, he was a people person and would have rapidly grown bored if all he did was teach shop and do the practical stuff in the workshop the R&D people couldn't do very well.

'And now we reach the latest addition to the Slayer Museum' Xander told the girls who were all around thirteen or fourteen. 'Actual live vampires in captivity' he said as they turned a corner.

The vampire Toru had known he was in a great deal of trouble when the gaijin slayer who had calmly walked into the midst of him and his remaining forces simply stood there and let one of the vampires who leapt to the attack bring a katana stroke down upon on her neck. Instead of neatly decapitating her the finely crafted blade shattered leaving the dumbstruck vampire staring at the remains of the weapon as the girl slowly turned and almost apologetically shrugged saying 'Yeah, you're pretty much fucked.' The rest of the fight, such as it was, mainly consisted of Kumiko screaming in terror that it was the "slayer-demon", said creature morphing from human form into something red-haired and much scarier and then correcting her with a more accurate description of 'Slayer-_God_' and an awful lot of vampires exploding into dust.

Kumiko herself had tried to flee by changing form but the intruder raised a hand and became unimaginably fast, apparently punching her heart out of her chest before the transmogrification was even partially complete. With the vast majority of his forces having been lost in their apparently futile and suicidal attack on the Slayer Headquarters Toru's few remaining vampires were simply annihilated in a manner that might have seemed clinical if now for the fact their assailant seemed to be enjoying the occasion immensely, even toying with some of the vampires to prolong the fun.

Toru had been left to last, as the demon advanced on him he knew he was dust walking but he also knew that he would reform again afterwards that being one of the tricks he had obtained from that laughable self-caricature Dracula. What he hadn't counted on was reforming inside a large airtight clear plastic box several inches thick and being shown a dust-buster by the creature who was now back in human form and laughing uproariously. She had vacuumed both him and Kumiko up and deposited them inside custom made combination cells and display cabinets.

Both of them were still in their boxes stood upright side by side wishing they had been accorded the less humiliating treatment that was meted out to the others. The concrete plinth they were standing on was made from cement mixed with Holy Water and the remains of dozens of vampires which would try in vain to reform for eternity.

'Vamp out for the girls or no dinner' Xander told Toru, the vampire considering some verbal abuse in response but deciding he was too damn hungry to miss another meal. He compliantly changed into his golden-eyed and fanged vampire form and at least had the tiny victory of a couple of the girls jumping back in fear. 'Don't worry he can't get out' Xander reassured them, rapping his knuckles on the thick plastic.

If he ever got out of there the first thing Toru was going to do was eat the slayer named Aiko, he didn't know why she did it but for some reason the slayer from his own home country made it her business to taunt him incessantly by amongst other things repetitively tapping on the plastic for what seemed like hours on end. She also used to add something that tasted foul to the pigs blood they fed him via a straw and a tiny hole in the plastic.

'Why don't you slay them?' a girl asked.

'Because when you dust them they reform so we can use them for testing new anti-vampire weaponry' Xander answered, 'and because they haven't completely explained how they were going to use a scythe and some magic to de-power slayers' he added. 'Kumiko there is more cooperative so we feed her tastier blood' he noted, 'not human or anything, just a little vole or otter when she's been a good girl.'

Toru turned and glared at her, Kumiko looking away embarrassed.

'Why are there three plinths but only two have vampires in boxes' another girl queried.

'That one is going to be for the Master' Xander replied, 'I mean Dracula' he corrected himself with a cringe, he was going to have to cut that out. He was already worried that when they tracked him down and put him in his own box beside the others he might start wanting to eat bugs again. He had already started to make up a very nice brass nameplate for the vampires display cabinet which he hadn't done for Toru or Kumiko, admittedly they weren't remotely as famous which is how he tried to justify the favouritism. At least Willow had promised she could reduce the power of Dracula's thrall to the level where he wouldn't try and help him escape.

'Dracula? The _real_ Dracula?' a new slayer exclaimed.

'The very same' Xander confirmed, 'he won't be happy but we can't leave him out there snacking on Transylvania peasants indefinitely, his rep isn't a get out of slayage free card.'

'Can I get his autograph?' a girl asked.

'You'll have to join the queue' Xander replied with a grin, 'half the girls in Shadow Valley have ordered Bram Stokers book from Amazon for him to sign' he told them, 'and there's a blond limey vampire with a soul that wants him to sign a cheque for ten pounds too.'

One of the girls frowned. 'So how do they go to the bathroom?' she asked curiously.

'Everybody asks that eventually' Xander told her with a grin.

**Hyperion Hotel – Los Angeles – April 2005**

'Can you say that again?' Wesley asked Rebecca who had confronted both he and Faith in his room as they prepared to go out to investigate a rumour of minor demonic activity in Wilmington.

'I've discussed it with Enyo and we agree that you two need to get married' Rebecca told them. 'It's not right' she said.

Faith slipped a set of brass knuckles into a pocket of her leather jacket and then rolled her eyes. 'Is this going to be some complaint about us sleeping together and not being hitched?' she asked. 'Because Wes here screws Illyria too and unless we turn Fundamentalist Mormon he can't marry both of us' she stated.

Rebecca turned to Wesley. 'You could buy Mom an engagement ring this afternoon' she said. 'I'd help arrange everything' she offered.

Wesley looked back at her nonplussed. 'Where has this all come from?' he asked.

'My parents aren't married' Rebecca replied awkwardly, 'you're not even divorced, you've _never_ been married' she continued. 'I don't mind you sleeping together before marriage, well not too much, but I came back in time and now I'm retroactively illegitimate' she said.

'You're _what_?' Faith responded.

'Retroactively illegitimate' Rebecca repeated. 'It's not right' she said flatly.

'_Who raised you_?' Faith exclaimed.

'You did' Rebecca replied. 'You always told me that children need the security of having their parents in a stable marriage.'

'You're _twenty-one_' Wesley pointed out. 'Well you are by some chronological measurements' he added. Physically she looked eighteen and always would do, and technically she hadn't even been born yet.

'What's that got to do with anything?' Rebecca asked.

'Well it's not like we'd be fighting a custody battle to see who gets you during the week and who gets you at the weekend' Faith said sarcastically.

'You're an unmarried Mom' Rebecca told her with some clear element of disapproval in her tone on the subject.

Faith blinked. 'How the hell can you be so damn conservative?' she asked. 'Did I turn into a 

more uptight Carol Brady when I got knocked up or what?' she continued. 'And why the crap does _this_ bother you when you're _fine_ with the idea of your dad screwing a demon?'

'Dad is Illyria's Consort' Rebecca replied, 'that's different, it's not like he's having an affair or anything' she responded as if there couldn't be any valid disagreement on the subject. 'Different moral and ethical rules apply in different circumstances' she continued. 'In _these_ circumstances you should get married' she said with certainty.

Wesley crossed his arms. 'You didn't honestly believe you could order us to get married and it would work did you?' he asked, raising one eyebrow.

'No but it was a good way to start the campaign' Rebecca replied. 'You were so happy together' she told them earnestly. 'When I was a kid all my friends parents were fighting and getting divorced but you never did' she said then frowned, 'okay you fought evil monsters all the time, and Mom and Illyria argued incessantly, but that just relieved tension' she said. 'I only saw you have to stop Mom scything Illyria once' she said, 'okay twice' she admitted, 'but the second time I don't think she was being completely serious about it' she opined.

'And apparently even a happy, loving childhood can _still_ monumentally screw you up' Wesley said sadly.

'Who knew?' Faith responded with a shrug. 'Look Missy I've told you before about judging me' she said.

'And _I'm_ not going to put up with you trying to turn me into some idealised father-figure' Wesley interjected.

'See, you agree with each other, you're so in synch!' Rebecca wheedled like she was ten again. 'It's not just in my benefit, you'd be so happy' she told them. 'Calling myself Wyndham-Pryce doesn't feel honest' she continued, 'not until you make an honest woman of Mom anyway' she said.

'If we have another one we need to remember to try much less hard to be perfect parents Wes' Faith opined. 'We totally screwed the pooch with this one' she said.

'I'd have to agree' Wesley concurred.

Rebecca pouted. 'No you didn't' she insisted. 'You were great parents to me' she told them emphatically. 'Mom taught me right from wrong, and Dad taught me how to choose the lesser of two wrongs and Illyria taught me that sometimes doing the wrong thing doesn't really matter in the long-term anyway' she said. 'And you _all_ loved me.'

'The last part sounded good' Faith told Wesley, 'we'll try and stick to the last part' she said.

Wesley reached out and took Rebecca's hand. It reminded him so much of Faiths, even the nagging fear that if she squeezed she'd break all his fingers although Rebecca could likely crush them to powder instead if she was so inclined. 'Rebecca, you know we've both become very fond of you' he began, 'and to my surprise I do now think of you as actually being my daughter sometimes' he continued, 'but we're not the people you think of as your parents' he noted. 'In reality_ they_ weren't really those people' he told her, 'knowing myself at least I 

think I would have tried so very hard to be a better father to you than mine is to me that what you saw was always to some degree an act' he said. 'Not the loving you and caring about you but an awful lot of the unimportant stuff' he continued. 'What you see here today is the real Wesley Wyndham-Pryce and the real Faith Lehane' he said, Faith taking the cue to add her hand to theirs. 'To be frank we are both deeply flawed individuals' he admitted, 'you shouldn't ever expect us to remotely measure up to your rose-tinted expectations Rebecca.'

'He's right, we're screwed up' Faith agreed.

'That's okay' Rebecca told them brightly. 'I know you turn out better' she said.

'Everything we say just goes straight over her head' Faith told Wesley. 'That kind of certainty _must_ have been because of Illyria, I'm never that confident, I only act that way sometimes and you only are when you've got your game on' she said. 'I think she _means_ it' Faith added, shaking her head sadly. 'Were you like this _before_ Enyo?' she asked.

'Check my Report Cards from School and Shadow Valley on the Database I bought with me from the future' Rebecca replied. 'You won't find "lacks confidence" anywhere in there' she said with a grin. 'You raised me to have self-belief.'

'Yep we over compensated there too Wes' Faith observed.

'If you got married and had another child you could learn from your mistakes and give it another try' Rebecca suggested.

'She's changing tactics on us Faith' Wesley responded knowingly.

'They must have ripped the Q section out of my dictionary because I don't know the meaning of the word quit Dad' Rebecca told him. 'I'm not quite sure what a quoit is either' she added with a chuckle. Oh well the direct approach wasn't succeeding she thought to herself, better go to Plan B and sabotage Mom's Birth Control Pills, if she got pregnant Dad was bound to marry her she decided happily giving them a beaming smile.

**Shadow Valley – California – April 2005**

Dawn sat on a couch in Buffy's apartment idly playing with the Pathfinder Device on her arm as Buffy offered Connor sat next to her a soda which he took with the hand that wasn't on the end of the arm draped around Dawn's shoulder. Buffy was still less than happy that they were living together at the Hyperion but she was at least gradually starting to adjust to the idea that if she wanted to interfere in her sisters life she had to make sure Dawn didn't know about it.

'Getting used to that thing?' Buffy asked her sister.

'Everything but the getting stabbed in the arm by the needles when I open a portal' Dawn replied.

'She tries to show off to people, like slayers that have never seen it before, but opening a hole in the space-time continuum always loses some of its coolness factor when it's accompanied by "yipe", "ouch" or some swearing when she does it' Connor said, earning a glare from 

Dawn which he retaliated to by leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.

'It really smarts' Dawn announced. 'It helps a bit to rub ibuprofen gel on before I put on the gadget, makes my arm numb underneath' she said.

'I hope you're not getting addicted to that' Buffy responded before she could stop herself.

'I only rub three tubes a day into my forearm, it's not a problem honest' Dawn replied, with a smirk.

'She tried drinking it but it made her gag' Connor deadpanned.

'It's a good thing for you my gag reflex isn't that great honey' Dawn replied, earning exactly the expression on Buffy's face that she had been hoping for in response.

Willow emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray of snacks. 'I put the last of the dip into a bowl' she said, indicating the container. 'The Doritos are mine, don't anyone make me fight for them because I've got dark-haired and veiny for less' she joked.

'How's Kennedy?' Dawn asked with a smile.

'She's good' Willow replied. 'I saw her yesterday' she said.

'And tell Dawn the rest' Buffy interjected.

'I'm meeting her in New York next week' Willow continued, 'we're going to stay at her parents house for a few days' she said. 'I'm so nervous about it' she admitted. 'Her Mom and Dad aren't as easy going on the gay thing as mine were when I told them.'

'Separate rooms?' Dawn asked, 'or are you going to have to be sneaky and not make too much noise when you tiptoe down the corridor?' she asked.

Willow blushed slightly. 'I can _hover_ Dawn' she reminded her with a giggle.

'Tell Kennedy I said Hi' Connor requested.

'Will do' Willow agreed. 'So do you know why Xander asked us to meet up?' she asked Buffy.

'I wasn't asked, I got dragged along' Connor noted.

'I took the leash off before I knocked on the door' Dawn joked. 'It's alright for the rest of you, I bled to be here' she said indicating the pathfinder unit which had opened a portal for her and Connor from LA to Shadow Valley.

'Two tiny drops and we could have come by helicopter' Connor responded. 'Fred flies back and forth all the time.'

'What's the point of being able to portal yourself around if you don't?' Dawn asked rhetorically. 'I might use the helicopter to go back though' she said.

A knock at the door heralded the arrival not of Xander as expected but a very annoyed Illyria who Buffy had not been expecting but who she was unable to query the presence of before the God-King in her human "Ria" persona complained to Dawn that if she had known there was a portal heading to Shadow Valley that day she would have hitched a lift instead of having to destabilise her shell a tiny amount to open one of her own.

By the time Xander and Anya arrived Illyria had finished off half the chilli dip and had revealed she was equally unaware of why she had been summoned other than the fact that Anya had been so insistent on the telephone she had wondered if she was under threat.

'Good you're all here' Xander said happily. 'We wanted you all to know that...'

'We're getting married' Anya announced joyfully.

'Am I here to threaten Xander with death if he deserts you at the altar again?' Illyria responded before anyone else could say anything, immediately halting the conversation in its tracks.

'No' Anya replied, 'well it would be nice if you did that too' she continued brightly, 'you're here because I want you to be one of my bridesmaids' she announced. She was short two bridesmaids from last time because Halfrek and Tara were both dead.

Illyria narrowed her eyes. 'I have heard disquieting tales from Spike about the dresses you put the bridesmaids in at your previous wedding attempt' she said. 'That he mentioned the garments amidst stories of the most hideous sights he had ever witnessed speaks much for their appearance' the God-King announced. 'I will not wear the colours of any of the clans which were my mortal enemies so I demand veto on what I am to wear' she added.

Anya smiled. 'That's okay' she said.

Buffy dropped her head into her hands and wondered why she had never thought to just _tell_ Anya last time that the bridesmaids dresses she choose were horrible.

'So Best Man again Will?' Xander asked Willow.

'Can I go Marlene Dietrich-y in a dashing tuxedo number?' Willow asked hopefully.

'We'll check you're not more dashing than _me_ but if not then fine' Xander agreed with a grin.

'Do you need ushers?' Dawn asked. 'Connor can do that' she offered.

'I don't know how to Ush' Connor whispered to her nervously.

'So when's the happy occasion?' Buffy asked as Anya started showing off her ring which was roughly ten times as expensive as the last one reflecting their changed financial circumstances.

'We're thinking June' Xander replied.

'That is very soon' Illyria responded, 'is Anya pregnant?' she asked.

'No' Xander replied immediately.

'I merely wished to verify that I should be seeking a wedding gift only and not items for a Baby Shower as well' Illyria told him. 'If she had been with child I would have also criticised your birth-control regime' she added.

'Is there a topic where you _wouldn't_ offer an opinion?' Buffy asked sardonically.

'Accepting defeat gracefully' Illyria replied. 'The entire concept is an inexplicable mystery to me' she said. 'I simply lack the necessary frames of reference' she admitted before to the surprise of many she moved to give Anya a hug and told her how happy she was for her.

Willow and Xander started talking tuxedos as Anya took a list of the colours Illyria would refuse to wear, the list to Buffy's relief including the teal green Anya put her in last time.

The interest Dawn showed in Anya's engagement ring worried Connor immensely and he still needed to get online and find out how to Ush before he was railroaded into a situation that might embarrass him.

Giles wasn't at Shadow Valley that day, he had taken Emily and the Twins to the Grand Canyon on a short trip but when he returned he was more than honoured to be asked to give Anya away.

Spikes later offer to organise a stag-night for Xander however was turned down flat by everyone concerned.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_Apologies to anyone that hasn't read the Season 8 Comics but if you check the wikipedia articles it'll explain enough to understand._

_This fanfic story with one more chapter to go runs on reviews..._


	32. Chapter 32

_Everything either belongs to Joss or it should, no infringement is intended and no profit is to be made. When you get right down to it I'm not really worth suing anyway unless you want a share of an underpaid civil servants wages and it just wouldn't be worth the hassle trust me._

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO**

**Wolfram and Hart Building – Los Angeles – April 2005**

Berith had decided that the staff were unfit and had issued a recommendation that everyone should use the stairs instead of the elevators as much as possible, being the type who tried to lead by example he was of course doing so himself which meant that Lilah, feeling obliged to follow his lead both literally and metaphorically, wished she chose her shoes on a more practical basis than style as she trudged up another flight of stairs on the way from the fifth to the ninth floor.

Unfortunately for Lilah being technically dead didn't mean you didn't get out of breath and Berith was setting a swift pace which was easy for him because he was a demonic deity who could sprint a marathon without undue effort. 'You can teleport and open portals to get around and you don't need to exercise' Lilah noted. 'This is insane' she declared.

'Never expect the troops to do something you won't do yourself' Berith replied.

'This is a law firm not an army' Lilah retorted.

'Firstly Lilah, business _is_ war' Berith replied. 'And secondly, war is our primary business' he noted. 'Don't let the suit fool you, at heart I'm still a warrior not a manipulator, I have you to do the legal trickery and backstabbing, I still like to look my enemy in the eye before I rip his guts out' he declared.

'Most of the staff in this dimension are lawyers or clerical workers, they're not warrior demons like your off-world legions' Lilah pointed out.

'Which is no excuse for being out of shape' Berith stated. 'Illyria and the slayers represented an overwhelming threat because after centuries of inertia you were all flabby mentally _and_ physically' he declared. 'Under my leadership this organisation _will_ be lean and hungry.'

Lilah rolled her eyes as she trudged upwards behind him. 'Thinking of lean and hungry we've got lunch with one of our major clients in an hour.'

'Tamika reminded me earlier, she's a wonder that girl, don't know what I'd do without her' Berith replied.

'Screwed her yet?' Lilah asked with a smirk.

'No' Berith replied.

'So there's still at least two of us in the building' Lilah responded.

'They'll always be _at least_ three' Berith corrected her, 'the chick from Files and Records creeps me out, it's a combination of the eyes and the fact she knows too much about me' Berith told her. 'I like to retain a certain mystique with the ladies.'

'Gwen's not creepy' Lilah responded, 'she's very pleasant when you get to know her' she told him. Lilah had made some efforts over the years to strike up a good relationship with the woman after they first met, knowledge was power and the "human" face of Files and Records was a fair way along the road to omniscience. 'Which doesn't mean I think you should sleep with her' she added seriously.

Berith laughed. 'Okay I'll continue to steer clear.'

'She's seeing someone in accounting anyway, liked what she saw in his personnel file' Lilah told him. 'They were on vacation together when Jasmine's Rock-Demon flunky massacred the rest of the staff' she said. 'I was happy to find a familiar face still here when the Senior Partners resurrected me' she noted.

'Continuity is reassuring' Berith agreed. 'I was pretty happy to find that the city was still called Beirut after me even after I was gone a few millennia.'

'Talking of which we still haven't decided what we're going to do about the Middle-East situation' Lilah reminded him.

'It's doing fine' Berith replied, 'better than fine' he continued. 'Still can't understand why all those idiots who believe in the same God are fighting each other over the details of how they worship him but that's humanity for you' he said, 'great at technology and warfare, total lack of common sense as a group' he opined before stopping and looking around quizzically for a second, eventually groaning to himself.

'What's wrong?' Lilah asked quizzically.

Berith turned to her. 'We've got company' he said, then began to recite a poem.

"_As I was going up the stairs_

_I met a man that wasn't there_

_He wasn't there again today_

_I wish, I wish he'd go away"_

A figure dressed as a clergyman appeared in a flash of light in front of them. 'Just testing' it said. 'Seer powers not _too_ downgraded because of the shell then' it asked with a chuckle.

'I'd recognise your aura approaching a mile off' Berith replied. 'Damn it I was hoping the upgraded psychic defences would keep you out' he muttered.

'I'm the First Evil boy' the new arrival responded. 'There's no keeping me out of where I want to be' it stated. 'I'll throw you a bone though, this place_ is_ one of the top three hardest places for me to get into' it told them, 'have to put some effort in to get past all the mystical barriers, you should be proud of that folks' it told them.

'Let me guess' Lilah interjected, 'one of the other places is Slayer Headquarters and the third is...?'

'You don't know them, well you've kinda had your run-ins but you ain't got a damn clue who was behind it' the First Evil replied, 'just another bunch of second-raters on my list of people to deal with someday if they ever get a clue I'm only playing with them.'

'Still wearing the Caleb look I see' Lilah stated.

The First Evil smiled. 'Black is slimming' he said, indicating his clothes. 'I could look like you again instead?' it offered with amusement. 'Most corpses I appear as ain't already so mobile though so don't go criticising my acting ability and how the hell do you get around on those heels?' it asked.

'You can stick with the current look' Berith told it. 'I'm almost less of a fan of the priesthood than I am of the real you so the outfit helps me focus on how much I dislike your incorporeal ass' he said.

'Hell if that's the case then I've done bought you the best news you're gonna hear all day, maybe all year' the First Evil replied. 'I'm upping sticks, decided to move to a better neighbourhood, but I couldn't leave town without saying goodbye first so here I am' it said.

Berith fixed the incorporeal being with a doubtful stare. 'What are you talking about?' he asked suspiciously.

'I give' the First Evil announced. 'You win, I'm moving out' it said. 'I'm ceding this territory to you' it told them.

'You're _what_?' Lilah exclaimed.

'I'm leaving this dimension, closing down my operation here and heading for another world where I don't have to deal with Old One's with agendas, slayers packing heat and the other assorted pains in the ass which have made things here so darn unbearable the last couple of years' the First Evil replied. 'It's just not fun here anymore' it said sadly, 'vampires are afraid to go out on the street at night, whole demon clans are switching sides' it said, 'shoot, a couple of days ago I heard that Dracula his-self went into hiding because he heard the white-hats were looking for him' he said incredulously. 'Now I know he's an overrated egotist but I honestly thought that deep-down he had more class.'

'So you're _quitting_?' Berith queried. 'Since when did the First Evil give up?'

'Since when did Old One's end up as pseudo balance-demons like you, or quasi good-guys like Illyria' the First responded. 'You've _got_ to realise just how fouled-up this whole world is right?' it asked rhetorically.

'It's a brave new world alright' Berith agreed after a pause, thinking about it.

'If we're talking futurist dystopias this dimension is the demon's 1984' the First Evil replied, 'except that it's the damn slayers wearing the boot stamping on _our_ faces and _that_ just ain't right' it stated. 'Hell even if I looked like I _was_ going to beat them you'd step in to level the playing field because all you care about is looking after your own rear end' it continued. 'The prospects here just suck, excuse my French, so I'm heading out to pastures new.'

'I didn't know it could leave this dimension, can it?' Lilah asked Berith.

'Aw hell it ain't easy but I've had some help from one of your clients, guy named Greenway' the First Evil said. 'As soon as my Bringers have rustled up the five Nuns I need for the ritual he came up with I'm taking a trans-dimensional doorway to a new and better life.'

'Well don't let the portal hit you on the ass on the way out' Berith responded. 'I'm still not sure why you're telling us this' he said, 'you usually turn up to taunt or gloat, not deliver good news.'

'You know me too well' The First Evil replied with a smile. 'I _do_ have an ulterior motive for being here you might say.'

'We're shocked' Lilah interjected sardonically.

'Well you see I'm taking my Bringers with me of course, you can't go anywhere without lackeys' the First replied, 'but I also need troops and since my prospects for getting any Turok'Han are limited right now, mores the pity, I decided to get some new soldiers' it said. 'I'm darn grateful to you for arming and training them too, saved me a whole heap of trouble.'

'What?' Berith asked coldly.

'All those Scourge you've been training up for me on Pylea, taught them how to fight the human way, given them all those guns' the First said, 'from what I've heard they're just itching for the chance to kick some slayer tail in one of those sweet dimensions where they don't carry guns themselves' it continued. 'I love those Scourge boys I really do' it said brightly. 'They're just my kinda people you know, they haven't lost the faith.'

'Lilah contact Pylea and...' Berith began.

'Too late they'll have already jumped dimensions by now' The First interrupted, 'why do you think I had their head honcho ask you to portal him out two days back for an inspection?' it asked smugly. 'He was under orders to gather up his troops, steal some of those Trionic Books those Covenant Priests of yours have in those parts, and use them to portal to pastures new' it explained. 'They should be ready and waiting for me to arrive' it said. 'I'm hoping for a parade' it added.

'I might not be able to touch _you_ but I'll hunt those turncoat bastards to the ends of multiverse and tear their hearts out' Berith declared with a growl, his eyes glowing red.

'That's like trying to find a needle in a haystack when you don't have a big magnet' the First replied with a grin. 'You could look for a thousand years and be no closer to finding them' it said. 'Even if you went to Pylea right now the trail would be cold, I told them how to cover their tracks' it told them, 'remember I know everything every witch, warlock, and sorcerer knew that ever died on this world' it said. 'I might be really limited in what I can do like this' it continued, waving its hand through a wall, 'but I _do_ know plenty of tricks.'

'Just remind them when you see them that I've got eternity to look and I'll happily take revenge on their distant descendants instead' Berith declared.

'Now you see _that's_ the Lord of the Covenant I used to know and respect' The First enthused, 'glad to see you haven't gone completely soft' it said. 'Of course in the old days you'd have seen it coming but you really aren't the Seer you used to be.'

'It's not me you prick' Berith retorted defensively, 'the timelines are just too screwed up in this dimension, add in all the static from you, interfering Powers-That-Be, Illyria, Enyo, Glory, slayer aligned witches who are way more powerful than they should be, those Twilight goons and a few other weird fucking vibes I get and it's a miracle I've got any clairvoyance left at all' he declared.

'Keep telling yourself that son if it helps you get through the day' The First Evil responded with a smirk. 'See you around someday maybe' it added with a wink before disappearing.

Berith turned and punched a hole in the wall in frustration. 'Get that fixed' he told Lilah, 'and find out what happened on Pylea' he added. 'I'm going to find Hamilton and talk to the Senior Partners' he said with a sigh. 'They'll pin the whole thing on me' he added.

'You _were_ the one that decided to arm and train the Scourge as a proxy army against the slayers' Lilah reminded him.

The Lord of the Covenant rounded on her. 'Sometimes I wish you didn't know you're too valuable an asset for me to treat like that wall' he told her, eyes flashing red in anger again.

Lilah shrugged, she was just grateful he had the brains to realise that and the self-control not to kill the back-talking reanimated corpse again whenever she was more snarky than a demon-gods assistant really should be for safeties sake. 'You did get your wish though' she pointed out. 'The man you met upon the stairs that wasn't there _is_ going away' she noted.

'Don't push your luck Lilah' Berith warned, you're not_ that_ indispensable.'

'Consider me warned My Lord' Lilah replied, trying hard to keep a straight face.

**Shadow Valley – California – April 2005**

Another slayer went flying through the air as Glory blocked her kick and then simply swatted her aside, the girl landing on one of the crash-mats that carpeted the large training room 'This is fun' the Hellgod declared with enthusiasm as she continued to fight off the half dozen or so girls trying to bring her down whilst perhaps a hundred more looked on.

'She _is_ pulling her punches right?' one of the previous group who had fought Glory asked as she limped painfully over to Buffy.

'Yes, I've been hit by Glory properly and not only have I got the missing tooth to prove it none of you are coughing up blood' Buffy replied, watching the training session. 'She wasn't as good then though' she added, observing the Hellgod occasionally use proper martial-arts techniques as well as brute force. 'Illyria has been training her' she added, 'she never used to move that well' she noted. The hellgod was also dressed more appropriately for the occasion than she used to be too, wearing a leotard instead of an evening dress and with her hair secured back with what looked like a blue ribbon, the latter likely a symbol of her reluctant fealty to Illyria.

Glory used a judo move to flip another slayer away and then simply grabbing hold of two more threw them to the other side of the room. 'Is this all you've got?' she asked the others gleefully.

'What are we supposed to be learning here anyway Chief?' the girl with the limp asked.

'How to fight a stronger opponent by using numbers' Buffy answered, 'and humility, you're learning humility' she added. 'We all need our asses kicked occasionally, it's good for the soul' she said. 'But if you hurt any of the girls seriously I'll scythe you Glory' she called out.

'It's not my fault you slayers are so fragile' Glory replied, letting a girl punch her full-on in the face and laughing when the slayer winced at the resulting pain in her hand. 'Oh come on, I barely felt that' she chided the girl. 'Put some effort into it, you won't even give me a nosebleed if you don't hit me hard enough to break all your knuckles' she said.

'Okay that's enough' Buffy called out. 'Does everyone get the point now?' she asked. 'Just because you're faster and stronger than a vampire doesn't mean you can just "hulk smash" your way out of every fight' she said, borrowing an analogy Xander had made before. 'Sooner of later you'll run into something like Glory here' she continued, 'although maybe with better hair' she added.

Glory glared at Buffy. 'Nobody messes with, or criticises, the hair' she said angrily.

'There you see what I did' Buffy said to the group, 'I made her annoyed to start with' she explained, 'self-control is not a typical demon attribute so play to that' she advised, 'get them riled up so they don't fight smart' she told them. 'If I was fighting Glory I'd play on her vanity, if I was fighting Illyria I'd play on her ego, what I _wouldn't_ do is fight either of them unless I had no other choice and then if I had numbers on my side I'd make sure we all attacked at once' she said. 'This isn't an action movie where you take turns and throw away the advantage of numbers' she continued. 'This is real life with your life at stake' she said then smiled. 'Okay, watch how this is done properly' she announced. 'Rona, Amanda, Caridad let's do this' she said trotting towards Glory, the other three experienced slayers leaving the crowd to do likewise, limbering up as they went. 'Rowena you too' she added.

'Me why me?' the German slayer asked in surprise.

'Because I'm _not_ fighting Glory with only three other slayers' Buffy replied, and you're the only other one who's name I can remember right now, she thought guiltily to herself.

The Hellgod turned and sized up the opposition, smoothly dropping into a martial-arts stance as she was approached by five slayers from different directions. 'If I knock out another of your teeth can I keep it as a souvenir this time' she asked Buffy with a smirk. 'Maybe I could wear it on a necklace like that skinny kid that's fucking your sister does with demon teeth and claws' she continued, 'You should hear him pounding away at her back at the Hyperion, makes the whole place shake sometimes, it's a wonder she can still walk.'

Buffy gnashed her teeth, got her Glory thought joyfully and then to everyone's surprise went on the offensive launching an attack on Caridad first grabbing her and using her as a projectile threw her straight at Rona knocking them both temporarily out of the fight as Amanda, Rowena and Buffy attacked her simultaneously.

Rowena came in from behind, but ignoring blows from both Buffy and Amanda the Hellgod span around and swept her legs out from under her hard enough to send the blond slayer spinning away like something from a Chinese martial-arts movie only without the hidden wires. The impact on her lower leg was also sufficient to ensure she was still badly bruised the next day as Glory turned her attention to Amanda blocking a punch and counter-punching beneath her ribs knocking the wind out of the girl and collapsing her to the floor.

Oh crap, Buffy thought, she's a _hell_ of a lot better at this than she used to be she realised as Glory almost effortlessly deflected another kick which would have shattered human bone and followed up with a kick of her own that Buffy tried to avoid before realising it was a feint as the hellgod continued to move finishing in a hard and deliberating insulting slap to the side of Buffy's face which almost sent the slayer reeling.

'I told you' Glory declared. 'Nobody disrespects the hair and gets away with it' she said triumphantly and then to Buffy's surprise instead of attacking her again instead she reached down to help Amanda back up. 'If I'd taken that fight seriously these five would all be dead because the only thing as bad as overestimating yourself is underestimating your opponent' she told the slayers. 'Buffy here fought me before and didn't think I could have improved my technique as much as I have and I deliberately led her into a trap by not showing my hand when I fought the other girls earlier' she explained. 'As the strongest most experienced of my opponents I also got her angry which helped and then I used the element of surprise by attacking a numerically superior foe instead of trying to be defensive' she said, all those dull lectures about tactics Illyria made her listen to were finally paying off she decided.

Buffy stared at her, holding her hand against her cheek which stung like crazy.

'It's a good day to be beautiful, perfect and immortal' Glory declared happily. 'What's wrong Buffy?' she asked. 'I thought getting your ass kicked was good for the soul?' she added smugly, crossing her arms.

'Has anyone got a cellphone on them?' Buffy asked, looking around.

'I've got mine Ma'am' a girl responded as Rona and Caridad untangled themselves from each other and got back up.

'Call Enyo and tell her to get down here and kick Glory's ass' Buffy ordered, crossing her own arms. 'If you can't get her see if Illyria is busy.'

'That's petty' Glory responded.

'Yes' Buffy replied, 'yes it is' she agreed, 'but on the plus side it'll be good for the soul.'

'I don't _have_ a soul' Glory pointed out.

'I meant mine' Buffy told her.

**Downtown – Cleveland – April 2005 **

The First Evil, still opting to look like Caleb because he had a fondness for the dear departed misogynist psychotic, looked around the cavern. 'You know this might explain why some of the vaudeville acts they used to put on at the Palace Theatre were so bad' he said, 'it's in the Keith Building' he explained to the closest Harbinger, 'that's the skyscraper that's about a hundred and fifty feet above our heads right now' he continued, pointing upwards. Tunnelling in here had taken a while but not near as long as finding the place had.

A muffled moaning sound nearby reminded the First Evil of their guests, five Nuns bound and gagged, unwilling future participants in the ritual that would get him the hell out of this crappy dimension. They were the other reason he had decided to stay in Caleb's form, it had a sort of theme to it the First Evil decided.

Nearby a small group of Bringers lined the cavern wall waiting to carry out the ritual whilst others continued to labour, stacking supplies, weapons and artefacts that their master had decided to take with him. Other than his hooded footsoldiers the only other beings present was a Scourge Officer and three of his men, one of the small number who hadn't gone to Pylea with the rest, being ordered to stay behind in case their new messiah needed some muscle. 'How y'all doing?' the First asked them.

'We stand ready to do our duty Sir' the Scourge officer replied, snapping to attention as did his men.

'Stand easy boys' The First told them with a smile, 'if you want anything just tell one of the Bringers and as long as it's not conversation or a game of I-Spy they'll get right on it' it said.

'Thank you Sir but my troops and I are fine' the Scourge Officer replied. 'Can I ask why you wanted us here?' he queried.

'Needed a pure-blooded demon such as yourself you a special job' The First Evil replied, 'suppose it's only right and proper I tell you the whole story seeing as how you're my new good right arms and all' he said. 'What do you know about the Powers-That-Be?' it asked.

'The higher-beings that aid the slayers and other pro-human organisations and individuals?' the Officer replied.

'Yeah except that's kinda a misconception' The First Evil told him. 'They're not so much pro-human as they've been anti folks like us for the last few hundred millennia because they don't want anyone rocking the boat, upsetting the applecart if you prefer' it said. 'Some of their lackey's call themselves Balance Demon's and that's a more accurate description of what they're about' it continued. 'They fight Evil because they don't want Evil to win, but if Good was going to win they'd help out our side instead' it explained.

'For what purpose?' the Scourge officer asked curiously.

'Basically they're nothing but a bunch of self-serving cowards who look out for number one by making sure that their possible rivals for the ownership of their shiny temples up in the clouds are always at each other's throats and always will be' The First replied. 'They just sit around in white robes, guzzling down the ambrosia while down here in the lower dimensions honest, decent, hard-working, homicidal demons like you work and toil to make it a better world for your hellspawn' it said.

'Spineless parasites' the Scourge Officer declared.

'Yeah, that's them in a nutshell' The First agreed. 'But you, me and the rest of us true believers are going to settle their hash mark my words' it said. 'That's why I'm leading you to the promised land, the land of milk and honey where the human blood will run like a river and the slayers ain't as heavily armed as the ones we've got here' he said. 'There was just one thing I had to make sure to pick up before I left' it added.

'Yes Sir?' the Officer queried.

'Yeah so I hope you've been paying attention' The First Evil said. 'You see when I said about the Powers-That-Be helping out Evil if Good got too strong that wasn't just me guessing' it announced, 'they've done it before' it continued. 'Come on I've got something to show you over there' it said leading off, the Scourge Officer following behind.

The First led him to something obscured by a spare Bringer robe thrown over it. 'Hope you don't mind the theatrics but I thought a grand unveiling was needed in the circumstances' it said. 'Way back about thee and a half thousand years ago the Powers were a mite perturbed because these darn interfering feminists that called themselves "Guardians" decided to help out the slayer' it told the Scourge Officer. 'Now the humans were already dominant over most of the whole world even back then, they were breeding like rabbits and had started to invent iron weapons as well as bronze so for these darn women to tilt the scales even more in favour of the humans was pretty much unacceptable to anyone that wanted balance' it continued. 'So these Ancient Greek dykes who didn't know their place made a very special weapon for the slayer...'

'The scythe' the Scourge officer interrupted.

'That's the very thing' The First told him. 'The damn scythe, the only weapon that can kill any demon' it said. 'Well that was a weapon with an edge so sharp the Power's decided it gave the humans _too much_ of an edge so they went and evened things up again' it explained. 'Now as it happened it was never needed, those slayers mislaid the scythe and it sat near what they ended up calling the Sunnydale Hellmouth for the next few millennia getting dusty' it continued. 'So the Powers, always favouring the idea of balance hid their response near the _other_ hellmouth just in case it was ever needed you understand.'

Not being as stupid as he may have looked the Scourge Officer now stood transfixed at the indeterminate lump under the cloth.

'Go on son, you know you want to' The First told him.

The demon pulled the bringer robe clear and stared. 'It's a scythe' he said, 'a _black_ scythe' he said wide-eyed.

'The _demon_ scythe' The First announced enthusiastically. 'And like only a slayer could draw the red one from the stone where it was embedded back in Shadow Valley, only a pure-blood demon like yourself untainted by human blood can pull that one out of that there rock and use it like it was meant to be used' he said. 'I can't touch it myself and the Bringers used to be human until they saw the light and signed up with the winning team' he said. 'Go on, yank it out of there and we'll christen it properly, those Nuns throats won't slit themselves' he said.

The Scourge Officer reached out and with little apparent effort pulled the black scythe from the stone. As he touched it he felt its power wash through him.

'Now don't go getting too attached' The First advised, 'it's only a loaner until I can carry it myself, there's a few Old One's who have a date with me, that thing and destiny a-coming' it declared. 'Come on son we're one ritual and some blood away from a better future' he said before delivering a sigh. 'You know Angelus would have enjoyed helping out with the Nuns' it told him, 'Nuns were his thing' it noted, 'I always liked that vampire, real potential' it said regretfully. 'Something else to fix I guess.'

'We'll make it right Sir' The Scourge Officer declared, snapping to attention with the demon scythe.

'Yes we will son, yes we will' The First Evil agreed with certainty.

* * *

_**Note from the Author:**_

_The Compelled Series continues in "Compelled to Play for High Stakes"._


End file.
